TWA Terminal

TWA Terminal 

The TWA flight center (the Trans World Flight Center) was designed by Eero Saarinen in 1962 and is a great example of Futurist architecture and modern architecture. The TWA terminal was a major milestone in the improvement and development of air travel. There has always been a feeling of excitement when one is to travel by airplane. Eero Saarinen aimed to capture each and every aspect that makes air travel so sensational, throughout the buildings design to the flight itself. It is as if he wanted a persons experiential journey to begin before they even set foot on the airplane itself. The structure of the building itself becomes symbolic as one would approach this “monument to airline travel”. The large wing-like concrete shell resembles the wings of an airplane. This building is another great example of the implementation of concrete into building designs following World War two. The wing like structure shows just what exactly concrete is capable of. The material can be formed to take on irregular shapes, and can still somehow appear as weightless. The curved roof shell flowed from pillar to pillar acting as a canopy for those inside the structure. The roof is divided into four pieces by narrow skylights to allow natural lighting from above. The idea of the free flowing roof carries into the interior development of the building. The concrete canopy allows the interior layout to also be free flowing and spacious. The elements of the buildings interior also appear to be free flowing by not seeming to have boundaries designated to each piece. Interior structural pieces that support upper walkways in the building seem to match the free flowing shape of the concrete shell. This curved shell shape is also mimicked in the shape of the stair cases. The program of the building also appears to conform itself to the free flowing idea that happens throughout the building. The concrete canopy  creates one big main interior space with ticket areas happening at  its ground level and restaurants, bathrooms, etc. being placed just above. The idea behind this building wasn't just to bring the excitement of air travel to those flying, but also to the public or families who come to watch the airplanes take off. The building accommodates the non flying attendance in the building with a sunken waiting viewing area. The building was very successful in encouraging the sensation of air travel in terms of approach and progression through a terminal. However, all the effort put into the design of this great structure, the building was ironically incapable of servicing jet-liner airplanes and ended up closing its doors in 2001. The building is guaranteed to keep standing after being placed on the United States National Registers of Historic Places in 2005. I have a great appreciation for how quickly architects were adapting reinforced concrete into their buildings following World War Two. Concrete structures were becoming much more common because of the potential they had in form, structure, and strength. What I find very ironic in this specific building is that, concrete is a very strong structural member. Thought of to be very stiff and solid. However, it is used in this building where the main idea is a free flowing structure that creates a free flowing interior. I believe this piece of modern architecture paved the way for irregular shapes to appear more ofter in architecture because this building showed what reinforced concrete was capable of on a monumental scale.

“AD Classics: TWA Flight Center / Eero Saarinen.” ArchDaily, 13 June 2016, www.archdaily.com/788012/ad-classics-twa-flight-center-eero-saarinen.