Reviving the Romance of Flight at the Airport
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Michael Wengenroth, Jason Patterson and Yi-Chang Liao are the first place winners of the 2015 Fentress Global Challenge. They redesigned Terminal 1 of the Raleigh-Durham International Airport in North Carolina as it might exist in 2050. APEX Media sat down with Michael Wengenroth and Jason Patterson to discuss futuristic airport design and the inspiration behind their project.
What’s the general idea behind your project?
JP: One of the big-picture items was to revive the romance of flight. This is something Curtis Fentress had written a book about and it really inspired us. It’s basically about reconnecting humans with planes. It’s a very simple concept. For instance, at the Seattle airport there’s some old images of people standing on a rooftop deck, as well as people standing on the runway with the plane as they’re getting ready to take off. There was a human side to it that has gotten lost over the last several years. One of the ways we included the human aspect was to have passengers gather at an outdoor space and it would be the first thing they see after passing security. It would give them a moment of repose, a moment of rest, where they can get outside and be with the planes and watch them take off.
“It’s basically about reconnecting humans with planes. It’s a very simple concept.” – Jason Patterson
YCL: Compared to other airports, which usually feel cool and metallic, the current Terminal 2 has natural glue-laminated beams that bring a warm atmosphere around the terminal. This is the kind of atmosphere we wanted to bring to the new Terminal 1.
What were your main inspirations for the project?
JP: So the old picture that was taken at Seattle airport, that was definitely an inspiration from the past. Something that’s more current is the Seattle airport as it’s been redone by Fentress and that huge, grand hall where people can sit and watch the planes and enjoy beverages and food. There’s also bits and pieces from other airports we really appreciate. We noticed some sky gardens in other designs, but they weren’t very elaborate; so we wanted to make ours the focus of the design and not just a side feature.
What about non-airport inspirations?
JP: One of the main things we drew inspiration from was the Wright Flyer. North Carolina is known for the Wright Brothers and how they were first to achieve powered flight. We drew a lot of inspiration for materials from the Wright Flyer because that was primarily made of wood, steel and fabric and we were really interested in those connections. From there, we developed our terminal and concourse connected by sky bridges.
What are some of your favourite contemporary airports?
MW: We looked at a lot of amazing airports but one I’ve actually seen in person is the Denver airport. Seeing it from the air as you’re landing, making the connection to the mountains, stepping into the grand space that Fentress designed that brings light into the space and opens it up – it’s quite the opposite of a lot of tin-canny, compact, small, cramped-feeling airports.
What kind of problems with air travel does your futuristic design address?
JP: Thinking about sustainable design, we developed a lot of calculations for ground-source heat pumps, which would provide heating and cooling for the airport. A lot of airports are near vacant land that could be used for these ground-source heat pumps.
MW: I think throughout the whole process, we were trying to keep it very grounded and achievable. We thought up a baggage handling system where you could self-check your bags and they would be tagged and delivered to your destination. You could swipe your boarding pass and it would bring up your bags, instead of having to wait at a long baggage carousel.
For the security system, we looked at one that’s under development by the IACA (International Air Carrier Association). It uses, not just metal detectors or X-rays, which we use today, but incorporates biometric scans and chemical tests. You walk through this tunnel while it scans you, speeding up the security process. We incorporated this into the bridge that connects our terminal to our concourse. Rather than waiting in a long line – a cramped space that feels claustrophobic – we’re putting you on a large open bridge that scans you as you’re crossing it, but you’re also getting these great views of the planes, all the traffic that’s happening, bringing you away from the experience of going through security and connecting you to the experience of flight.
This interview is an edit of the original transcript.