TWA Building NYC, 1962: Eero Saarinen

The TWA (Trans World Airlines) building at John F Kennedy airport in New York City is constructed from the same material that The Coliseum in Rome is: Concrete. But what a difference in expression the TWA terminal is from The Coliseum: it seems to float; it is a bird, taking off or landing, or maybe perched ready to resume flight. The building epitomizes Eero Saarinen’s vision of what architecture can be, expressive; mind-altering forms that make us feel the architecture, something that most buildings do not do. Saarinen was a master at using materials in ways that seem so natural to the building that we accept the forms as if they have existed for centuries. His Saint Louis Arch of Aluminum, Dulles Airport’ suspended roof, the Yale hockey rink are timeless expressions of form with classic materials.

TWA Building NYC, JFK, 1962
Eero Saarinen (1910–1961)

Design is a Performing Art
Bruce Hannah 1997© / Illustrations by Bruce Hannah