Sneak peak: Barcelona Terminal 1

huge, originally uploaded by popatrapat.

Barcelona's shiny shiny Terminal one - an extension to its main hub - is due to open on June 16. We've found a few pre-launch pix for you - and it looks HUGE. Designed by Ricardo Bofill, the new terminal will increase capacity in Barca's long overcrowded airport from 30m to 55m passengers annually and will stretch over 1.000,000 m2. You can see many more images here. What is immediately apparent is that the new terminal will serve as a minimalist counterpoint to Madrid's technicolour Barajas, which opened a couple of years ago.

"The design of the building combines an international, multicultural character with the luminosity and warmth of Mediterranean architecture. Its transparency allows natural light to flood into all public spaces and provides panoramic views of the runways, the sea and the natural landscape. By combining maximum functionality, local technology, respect for the environment and unique architecture, the new airport terminal will become an intercontinental hub, a reference and original prototype for forthcoming hubs in the rest of the world."

Is Yotel bound for San Francisco?

Rumours abound that Yotel, the European capsule chain, with branches in London Heathrow and Gatwick airports as well as Amsterdam Schiphol, is bound for its first stateside opening. The San Francisco Chronicle reported this morning: "The airport is seeking a concessionaire to build and operate what it calls "sleep units" in the International Terminal. SFO officials don't want a traditional hotel, but rather a collection of tiny rooms - like Japanese-style pod or capsule hotels - that fliers could rent for a couple of hours between flights.