Designing TWA

Book excerpt: When Eero Saarinen s TWA Flight Center opened at New York s Idlewild (later John F. Kennedy International) airport in 1962 it was a sensation. It represented a significant change in architectural thinking. Trans World Airlines (TWA) initial commission to Saarinen was for a building suiting the airline s operational requirements to serve a fast growing number of passengers as efficiently as possible. At the same time, Saarinen s emblematic bird-like design allowed TWA to polish its image among air travelers, clearly distinguishing the company from other airlines in the intense competition during the early days if the jet-age in aviation. TWA clearly succeeded in capturing public attention for their architectural jewel, as Saarinen s iconic design got great publicity throughout its operational life until it closed in 2001 following TWA s takeover by American Airlines. Such use of a signature building has become very common in marketing for corporations, cultural institutions, and also for entire cities, e.g. Bilbao with Frank O. Gehry s Guggenheim museum. Although the TWA Flight Center was regarded an icon of the jet-age, it never really suited operational requirements. When Boeing introduced the B747 Jumbo Jet in 1970, the building already proved outdated and inefficient for the number of passengers using it. The new book "Designing TWA" for the first time tells the entire story of Saarinen s TWA Flight Center. The author Kornel Ringli, architect and publicist, has carried-out extensive research and brought together vast documentary material. He documents the terminal s architecture in the evident area of conflict between flight operations, design, and public relations. He also investigates how it remained an icon of jet-propelled aviation while never properly serving its purpose for just that industry. The book features a wealth of high-quality images showing TWA Flight Center in all its glamour and beauty, alongside many documents and plans. The concise text offers much detail and reaches far beyond many articles and previous smaller publications on one of the world s best-known pieces of architecture."