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Stuart Jacome Arch 221- M11 Prof. Khorsandi Blog Post TWA Flight Center The TWA Flight Center is located in Jamaica, Queens, USA; Part of John F. Kennedy international airport. Designed by Eero Saarinen and completed in 1962; this building has a futurist, modern style. Originally commissioned in 1956, this structure is meant to “capture the spirit of flight”. To capture this concept, Saarinen uses curves along the edges of the building which connect in the middle. From a bird's eye view the terminal appears to have two massive wings; imitating wings of a jet plane or a bird in flight. The exterior facade of the building has continuous curvature elements which move inward. So that the ceiling turns into a wall and the wall becomes the ground. There are four volumes which extrude outward from the center creating the wings. The spaces inside the terminal are open; all of the walls and elements are organic with different shapes and curves so that individuals could experienc...

Eero Saarinen’s Trans World Airlines (TWA) Flight Center was designed to visualize the “Spirit of Flight”. The need for more infrastructure to handle the rapidly expanding industry of commercial air travel was high after World War II. The reduction of prices and payment plans turned a usually high-class recreation into something within reach to the middle class. In response to the increase in aviary traffic decided to expand the Idlewild Airport (Present day JFK). The design which was deemed “Terminal City”, consisted of each airline constructing their own respective terminal. This was not decided through a design competition as many major urban planning projects are, however the airlines decided to go forward with this plan as it enabled them to create lasting brand names with permanent structures in their respective images. Saarinen collected an overwhelming amount of data on airplanes and it’s passengers. Timing how long it took for planes to take off and land, passengers commute...

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 mat...

Emilia Kightley-Sutter The TWA Flight Center in John F. Kennedy Airport in Jamaica Queens, New York was designed by Eero Saarinen was opened in May 1962 just a year after Saarinen died of a brain tumor. The flight center is an example of what post-second world war two tools we had to accomplish mid-twentieth century modern architecture.The client wanted this building to show the spirit of flight and for people who are running to catch a flight to have a strict path of beautiful views within the promenade architectural.  The organic shapes of the flight center were in magnificent scale and the hints of modernism influenced the social atmosphere of the users. Throughout the plan some stylistic features are marble steps, mosaic tiling and thought out furniture design and layout for the travelers. Although the building seemed to be a great win for architecture it was critiqued for its style, size, and function. However the interior and exterior were names a New York City landmark ...

Snowdon Aviary The Snowdon Aviary was a first of its kind. This pavilion space was inspired by birds and their "graceful" movements. At a time of British Architectural innovation and vision, the idea of the aviary came along during the Festival of Britain. Located along the Regent's Canal, it is basically an aluminum cage with netting to keep the birds from flying away. It was gauged as a pavilion style establishment and an architectural experiment. Designed by Cedric Price, Frank Newby and Anthony Armstrong-Jones, it was built in 1962 and was dedicated to Lord Snowdon. It was one of the earlier explorations into tensile frame construction. Nothing had ever been experimented with steel frame like the Aviary. The idea was to establish enclosure by not enclosing. This was a challenge for the designers as the idea of preserving a fragile space while being able to contain, immediately resulted in a building that left a footprint. In order to combat the idea of ...