BA - The Club - The world’s most spectacular service stations

Fredericia service station, Denmark

If sad neon signs and noise are what comes to mind with service stations, let the Danes broaden your aesthetic horizons. Architecture studio Cobe has constructed a dramatic timber structure in Fredericia as an electric car charging station, bringing a moment of Zen before you hit the road again.

The geometric, modular style roof is made from 12 connected trees and is designed like a typical gas station of 20th-century design. But Cobe’s choice of materials and concept points to a more sustainable, electric future. Buckle in.

Nearest British Airways airport: Copenhagen (CPH)

Gloucester Services, United Kingdom

Wild grasses and the tumbling hills of the British countryside will welcome you upon entry to Gloucester Services. Biophilic design spills into the space here – a curved, grass-lined rolling roof follows the grain of the surrounding landscape, plus light, dramatic interiors are framed by extraordinary woodwork.

Its link with the land extends to its produce on offer, since the pit stop works with 130 suppliers within 30 miles of it (you can expect fish, a cheese counter, and a patisserie in its farm shop). Electric charging points are on tap here too. What’s not to like?

Nearest British Airways airport: London Gatwick (LGW) / London Heathrow (LHR)

Rest Area Niemenharju, Finland

Been staring at a grey road for a few too many hours? Finland’s Rest Area Niemenharju lets you take respite in nature. Perched next to a large pond bordering Lake Kolima, the structure is made from tree-like wooden columns that seem to wrap around you, giving you the sense that you’re immersed in a forest.

The service station, stained a stealthy black to ease itself into its surroundings (and as a nod to its Finnish heritage), provides a kitchen, a restroom and, delightfully, a sauna.

Nearest British Airways airport: Helsinki (HEL)

Helios House service station, Los Angeles

Trust Los Angeles to provide a touch of dramatic spectacle. Helios House, dubbed ‘the station of the future’, is awash with climate-conscious design. Crafted with triangles of recycled stainless steel and solar panels for its roof (as well as cacti, because, well, why not?), it saves 16 per cent of its energy consumption as a result.

This futuristic, geometric gem is the only service station in the United States to flaunt a LEED certification (the highest accreditation for sustainable building design). Oh, and when you drive off into the sunset, don’t forget to pick up a ‘postcard you can plant’ on your way out.

Nearest British Airways airport: Los Angeles (LAX)

Teapot Dome gas station, Washington

Ok, we’re playing a little fast and loose, since this is now a historical landmark. Its pumps may technically be no longer in use, but it’d be rude not to mention The Teapot Dome service station.

Born from the political scandal of the Teapot Dome of the Harding Administration in the 1920s, the 15ft station is Washington’s spouted object of amusement that used to pump out petroleum, just like any other gas station. It’s now completely restored as a tourist site.

Nearest British Airways airport: Washington DC Dulles (IAD)