In America’s postwar years, architects and builders were redefining modernism, taking advantage of new construction techniques and materials to create a visual language for the 20th century. Working on the TWA terminal, Eeero Saarine and Kevin Roche. His works became icons in themselves: Marrying curves and dynamic forms with a modernist aesthetic, he brought a whole new dimension to architecture that continues to inspire architects today. He created the ubiquitous Knoll “Tulip” chair. Link.Eero Saarinen was one of the 20th century’s great visionaries, both in the fields of architecture and in furniture design. Photographer: Brett Weinstein, Wikimedia Commons. Kennedy International Airport (1962), Queens County, NY. (Accessed November 21, 2015)įigure 2: TWA Flight Center at the John F. Photographer: Acroterion, Wikimedia Commons.
6įigure 1: TWA Flight Center at the John F. Although the TWA terminal is no longer in operation due to it limited capacity for current air travel demands, it has since been named an important historic and architectural landmark and is undergoing restoration. It was one of the first progressive pieces of modern architecture to be used in a public space for civilian use. Not only does it incorporate modern materials like concrete but it also implemented a very radical design aesthetic for its time. It is clear that Saarinen’s design of the TWA Flight Center was very innovative for its time. Kennedy International Airport (1962), Queens County, NY, Eero Saarinen, Photographer: Brett Weinstein, Wikimedia Commons Figure 2: TWA Flight Center at the John F. Flight panels were also very dramatically shaped to look like futuristic screens that also followed the circular and curvilinear aesthetic. Many of the circulation spaces were sunken into the ground or curvilinear in form. Figure 2 shows the very futuristic approach to design that Saarinen implemented. There are very few right angles or strict geometric planes to be seen. The interior of the TWA terminal further emphasized curvilinear forms and flowing lines. Kennedy International Airport (1962), Queens County, NY, Eero Saarinen, Photographer: Acroterion, Wikimedia Commons 5 Figure 1: TWA Flight Center at the John F. The sloping roofs and curvilinear forms clearly rejected the rectilinear forms of the widespread International Style present in corporate America at the time. It was only through the use of concrete was Saarinen able to create such a dynamic and rigid form.
The use of concrete effectively creates a streamlined silhouette that is extremely evocative of Saarinen’s expressionist influences. As seen in Figure 1, Saarinen’s TWA terminal is a structure that encased in a shell of concrete. Not only did it combine innovative engineering and planning, but it also incorporated many modern building materials like concrete. The TWA Flight Center was a truly groundbreaking building for its time. TWA was also one of the largest airlines in America at the time. 3 In the 1940’s, when the Port of New York Authority began its development of an international airport, Saarinen was tasked with designing the TWA terminal. He later went on to study at the Yale School of Architecture and Design. 2 After immigrating to the United States in 1923, Saarinen and his family settled in Detroit, Michigan. He was born to Loja Gesellius and Eliel Saarinen. 1Įero Saarinen was a Finnish architect born on Augin the city of Kirkkonummi, Finland. It was designed by architect Eero Saarinen and opened for operation in May of 1962. Kennedy International Airport in Queens County, New York. The Trans World Airlines (TWA) Flight Center is a airport terminal at John F. Eero Saarinen’s Trans World Airlines Flight Center was an early example of architecture beginning to permeate public spaces in the form of airport terminals. Previous to the expansion of world-class architecture into the private sector, innovative and modern architectural designs were limited to wealthy patrons and corporations able and willing to pay for them. The idea that architecture should support the needs of the people was not always a very intuitive thought.
0 kommentar(er)
