Trans World Airline (TWA), (Queens, NY, USA); 1962-Present; Modern

Arial View

In 1962 Eero Saarinen was commissioned to design the new Airport Terminal. Before this time, flying was mainly for rich people; the same thing could be said about architecture. The airlines began discounting tickets and including payment plans so that "common people" could afford their services. For this terminal they wanted the idea of the “spirit of flight.” He created a design that was made up of four symmetrical curved concrete shells that came together in middle. Many said the building looked like a bird about to take flight; Saarinen said this was only a coincidence because he got his inspiration from a hollow grapefruit peel, which, he pushed the middle down.
Interior Space
Whichever the inspiration, the TWA is a milestone achievement. Before then, many architects were not worried of the person’s personal use or experience, but Saarinen wanted to change that. “We wanted passengers passing through the building to experience a fully-designed environment, in which each part arises from another and everything belongs to the same formal world," stated Eero Saarinen during construction in 1959. It is seen throughout the project as all the elements begin to form and move together. The floor shifted into the few walls and then they even shifted to the roof. To emphasize the function of the airport he created a sunken seating area, where a giant window would open up showing the jets arriving or departing. On either side where tubes to take the passengers to the boarding areas.
In this building the use of concrete was the key to creating such a flowing structure. Through the use of on-site poured concrete, Saarinen was able to keep the building seamless. The four shells making up the roof were held up by four Y concrete shaped columns. These supports acted as a buttress to hold the 6000 pound roof. To let more light into the space, there were skylights that extended from the middle. This is the main separation between the shells. A keystone was placed lastly in the middle to hold everything together.
The TWA was announced as an official Landmark by the Landmarks Preservation Commission in 1994. Unfortunately, the terminal was closed in 2001, as the small terminal could not account for the amount of growth the Airport was experiencing. It will now be turned into an airport that can host 505 guests and will be opened 2019. The TWA will be completely restored and tow additional building extending off the tunnels will house the guest.
Saarinen experienced a lot of criticism for a building he never got to see finished, as he died a year prier to the completion. Other architects said that he did something new to fit each job, instead of focusing on one architectural style. I think one of the main reasons it was so hated on, was for it contradicted the very rectangular shape of the International Style, of the time.  I believe in Saarinen accommodating his style to every job, he was able to accomplish more, because as some architects were trying to create one design that fit everything; in reality every project has it own needs and condition. Saarinen took a place of constant commotion and movement and place that into his design. Having the way the concrete flows through the whole building leads you to your final destination, creating experience.
Section
Works Cited
Fiederer, Luke. “AD Classics: TWA Flight Center / Eero Saarinen.” ArchDaily, 13 June 2016, www.archdaily.com/788012/ad-classics-twa-flight-center-eero-saarinen.
Perez, Adelyn. “AD Classics: TWA Terminal / Eero Saarinen.” ArchDaily, 2 July 2010, www.archdaily.com/66828/ad-classics-twa-terminal-eero-saarinen.
University of Chicago. “TWA Flight Center.” A Dictionary of Modern Architecture, 19 Nov. 2015, voices.uchicago.edu/201504arth15709-01a2/2015/11/16/twa-terminal/.
Casillas, Roy, et al. “TWA Terminal .” Faculty. Arch , faculty.arch.tamu.edu/media/cms_page_media/4433/TWATerminal.pdf.

Pelkonen, Eeva-Liisa, and Donald Albrecht. Eero Saarinen: Shaping the Future. Yale University Press, 2011.

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