A new article by Chris Holbrook for The New York Times, "Airports, Designed for Everyone but the Passenger," points out a black sheep among architectural typology: the airport. Though built for one of the most delicate and stressful human situations, airports are notoriously hostile to the travelers that occupy them.
The article cites the lack of attention to detail in modern airports as the chief problem, even in designs by architects known for their concern for public space, like Richard Rogers. Holbrook argues that many architects, including Norman Foster, treat the airport as a gateway between countries, creating “interactive postcards” with top-down concepts that reflect a country’s geography or culture, but that don't do enough to take care of passengers. Holbrook points to the security concerns of a post-9/11 world as a main culprit of unfriendly airports, but begs the question: is this the best we can do?
Read the full article here.
News via The New York Times
