Downtime interventions : programming the next generation airport terminal

Abstract

Airports are in trouble. Passengers have always been frustrated with air travel because of poor scheduling and late aircraft, and threats of terrorism since September 11 th 2001 have given travelers even less of a reason to book a flight. With very few options for activity and limited personal space, waiting for a flight in an airport terminal can be a dull if not annoying experience. Downtime is built into the schedule of flying in the form of check-in procedures, increased security, and boarding protocols. Travelers are encountering more downtime at the airport than ever before, and the spaces they occupy while waiting for a flight are often designed without regard for their emotional and functional needs. Unless they have access to exclusive lounges, passengers must wait in their designated gate areas in vast fields of undifferentiated seating. A lack of programmatic specificity plagues the airport while passengers grow increasingly frustrated with their travel experience. But things are changing so we can travel the way we want. Security measures are being adopted to reassure passengers that air travel is safe, and better technologies are being tested and implemented to improve the flows of passengers on the ground and in the air. Modern travelers are on the move, restless, technologically enabled, and want to spend their time in quality ways. Because the complete experience of travel has become paramount in an increasingly competitive market, comfort and convenience can longer be ignored in the design of airport terminals. Next generation airport terminals need to respond to the complexity of modern living and accommodate simultaneous public and private itineraries of an unprecedented variety. This project investigates the impact of new technologies on the way we use public space and explores opportunities to improve our experience of travel by designing environments more responsive to the activities that occur in the airport.