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Designing TWA

Eero Saarinen’s Airport Terminal in New York

When it opened in 1962, the TWA Flight Center at New York’s JFK airport was a sensation. Created by Eero Saarinen with a distinctly birdlike design, it was instantly seen as a striking emblem of the romance of air travel. More than half a century later, it remains a beloved icon of modern architecture.
            Designing TWA is the first book to tell the whole story of Saarinen’s building, from its early planning through its closing in 2001 after the takeover of TWA by American Airlines. Documenting the terminal’s commission, planning, building, and use, architect Kornel Ringli reveals the constant tension between the operational needs of the airline and Saarinen’s visionary imaginings—revealing the TWA building as an incredible architectural achievement that nonetheless failed to meet the day-to-day demands of the business it housed. Lavishly illustrated with archival photographs, Designing TWA is an unprecedented look behind the scenes at the making of a modern masterpiece.

192 pages | 100 color plates, 50 halftones | 8 1/2 x 11 | © 2015

Architecture: American Architecture


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Reviews

Designing TWA recounts the genesis of the most iconic airport building of all time: Eero Saarinen’s swooping 1962 terminal for Trans World Airlines at New York’s JFK International Airport. A trove of archival photos, renderings, and advertisements, the book evokes the optimism of the golden age of flight.”

Elle Decor

“A deep dive into one of the most remarkable buildings in the century-long history of commercial flight. . . Take a look through these images, and get a taste for how the ‘golden age’ of air travel was created.”

WIRED

Designing TWA honors the architectural achievement of this emblem of midcentury modern design, from Saarinen’s initial sketches through the terminal’s closing in 2001. Photographs and archival documents, which depict everything from the design of the flight hostesses’ uniforms to diagrams of passenger and baggage movement, pay homage to the golden era of air travel.”

Publishers Weekly

“Filled with pictures, the book tells the fascinating story of this extraordinary building in the context of both aviation history and cultural development. . . . You don’t have to be an aerospace or architecture connoisseur to enjoy this sumptuous book.”

Classic Driver

Table of Contents

Designing TWA

1.    Diagrams of Passenger and Baggage Movements
1.1    Passenger Cabins Optimized for the Masses
1.2    New Requirements for Ground Infrastructure
1.3    Analysis and Research
1.4    Passenger Handling Machine

2.    A Focal Point of Attention
2.1    From the Constellation to a Comprehensive Corporate Look
2.2    Spectacular Shells
2.3    New Economic Focus
2.4    Come Fly with Me

3.    Universal Press Acclaim
3.1    Legend of Eero Saarinen
3.2    Joint Marketing Tool
3.3    Jet Propaganda
3.4    Glamourous Gala

TWA Designed

Appendix 
Interviews 
Drawings
Building Chronology
Index

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