TWA Airport-- Eero Saarinen
While I realize that I have written about not only Eero Saarinen himself, but also the TWA building, I got the wonderful opportunity to stay there for the second time last night. There are so many reasons why I love this building, but here is the history first.
Eero Saarinen was a Finnish-American architect whose designs draw much attention in the architecture community due to his innovation in function and aesthetic. Trans- World Flight Centre was, obviously, originally an airport. Saarinen's design looks to today's travelers very foreign. In a post 9-11 world with much more airport security, this configuration seems impossible (especially considering in 1962, one just walked up to their gate). In the 60's, business and luxury travelers enjoyed Saarinen's highly tailored surroundings due to his innovation of the airport as the experience of flying itself, enhancing what it truly was to travel. Coupled with the addition of furniture of his own design such as the Womb Chair and the Tulip Collection, Saarinen's implementation of his innovation in travel created the ultimate fusion of privacy, luxury, and public experience.
No comments
Post a Comment