Airport terminals are rarely beautiful, but David Rockwell wants to change that. Rockwell's architectural practice, based in New York, has designed theatres for Cirque du Soleil and restaurants for Nobu Matsuhisa. Now he's working on a project he hopes will transform the bleary-eyed masses tramping daily through JFK airport into a graceful Busby Berkeley-style dance of humanity - and naturally, they've turned to a Broadway choreographer for help.

The JetBlue terminal, JFK's fifth, will open in 2009. A three-year, $875m project, it's expected to handle up to 20 million people a year and it is Rockwell's job as interior designer (Gensler architects are handling the outside structure) to keep passengers moving in harmony. "I've been interested in designing an airport ever since I first went through the TWA building as a kid," he says. "The thing that makes them so anonymous and uninteresting is that all the design is put into a big iconic roof structure, when the real challenge is how people are moving."

Rockwell sought out choreographer Jerry Mitchell for assistance. The pair have worked together on The Rocky Horror Picture Show and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, but this is Mitchell's first involvement with public architecture.

The idea upon which they've built the design is simple: travellers arriving in New York need to be accelerated into the pace of the city, while departure should be more leisurely. Hence, the arrivals route is a straight line, almost a slingshot into the city, while the departure route is a gentle curve. "It's calmer when you're not travelling in a direct straight line," Mitchell explains. "Straight lines are very business-like. The soul enjoys a nice curve."

The final design incorporates a tiered seating area, so passengers can watch the people flowing past. "The goal is to make it spectacular," says Mitchell. "It doesn't matter if it's an airport or a Broadway show."