Structural investigation of the Trans World Airlines Flight Center

Abstract

The Trans World Airline Flight Center at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York is one of the most recognizable structural expressionist buildings of the 2 0 "' century. Designed by architect Eero Saarinen, the structure features an expansive 310' by 220' (95 x 67 meters) roof composed of four vaulted shells only supported by four buttresses along the edges. Structural engineering was fulfilled by Ammann and Whitney, who had worked with Saarinen previously on Kresge Auditorium. The structure was designed by hand without the aid of modern finite element software. This thesis examines the collaboration between the architects and engineers and attempts to dissect some of the major structural changes that occurred during development, most notably with the addition of massive skylights that separated the roof from one shell into four connected at the center. The original analysis method, described in a 1962 International Association of Shells and Spatial Structures paper, is reviewed and compared to a model constructed in Rhino 3D and tested using Karamba 3D parametric structural analysis software. The application of these digital tools can potentially allow far more inventive designs into the future and give engineers more confidence in the structures that they build.