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January 10, 2018
The Airport of the Future May Evolve from Transport Hub to Attraction
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So far, this is a trend most often seen at forward-thinking airports, such as Singapore Changi, with its butterfly garden, Hong KongÕs airport with its IMAX movie theater, and Seoul Incheon with its indoor skating rink. In the United States, one of the most innovative amenities is the yoga room at San Francisco International Ñ a unique spot, but nothing amazing. Those global perks get considerable media attention and often ensure these facilities make various lists of the worldÕs best airports. But the impressive amenities are still most often reserved for the worldÕs largest gateways, often in the Middle East and Asia, usually at airports with big construction budgets. The typical American or European hub is still more interested in having luxury shopping and decent restaurants rather than butterfly gardens. That could change soon, according to three architects who spoke recently with Skift. The three Ñ Terence Young of Gensler, Andy Bell of Corgan and Pat Askew of HKS Ñ said they expect more medium- and big-city airports will emulate major Asian and Middle East gateways by making airports more fun, with a greater sense of community. Soon, they said, they expect more airports will be places travelers actually want to go, rather than where they must go. That doesnÕt mean travelers in Seattle or Paris will get over-the-top amenities like Singapore, where thereÕs a four-story indoor slide, but it should mean theyÕll be more pleasant experiences. Here are the architectsÕ predictions on the airport evolution travelers will see soon(ish) in more places. A COMMUNITY EXPERIENCE The three architects said they expect airports in a decade or two will become a place people want to be, rather where they where they go for transportation. ÒIt happens a lot on the international scale,Ó CorganÕs Bell said. ÒBut I believe weÕre starting to see trends in a domestic shift toward this return to the jet age where the airport isnÕt just a piece of infrastructure for commuting, but itÕs a place to go and experience.Ó Young, design director for Gensler Los Angeles, said he envisions airports acting like a town square, allowing travelers to do everything they might in their home neighborhood. That means airports could have a playground for kids to Òburn off some energy,Ó or a ÒbougieÓ coffee shop, or even a yoga room, he said. Some airports already have some of these features, including San Francisco, for which Young has designed, but few have created the community-style feel Young envisions. Future airports will have shopping too, but the experience might be different. In the 1990s and early 2000s, many airports began offering a mall-type experience. That works, Young said, but only to a point. Today, travelers may not like being manipulated into shopping to pass time. They may browse stores if theyÕre bored, but if theyÕre anxious or stressed, they might not buy anything. If airports can give consumers a more well-rounded Òtown-square styleÓ experience, Young said, they might feel more comfortable. If theyÕre more relaxed, Young reasoned, they might buy more. ÒWe are giving that waiting time back to people as if they are still in their community, as opposed to, ÔI am going to the airport and I have to wait for an hour,'Ó he said. Ideally, the architects say, airports would be for everyone Ñ not just people flying that day. Ultimately, whether to allow non-ticketed passengers will be a decision for security officials and airport executives. Pittsburgh recently became the first U.S. airport to allow people without flight reservations to enter since Sept. 11, but this may not become a trend. Regardless, Young said he suspects airports can create more of a community feel by catering to the thousands of employees who work at them. Today, workers come and go, without creating much of a sense of community. But what if they wanted to hold their happy hours at the terminal, rather than a few miles away? If workers create a culture of Òpride of place and ownership of communityÓ at airports, Young said travelers would benefit. ÒThey should not be the hidden people,Ó Young said. ÒThey are the residents of that city, and travelers are the visitors.Ó A RETHINKING OF LOBBIES AND SECURITY Are grand airport lobbies obsolete? Askew, of HKS, said he thinks so. Already, he noted, many passengers barely interact with an agent before they fly. Even if they check a bag, they might only have a brief chat with an airport contractor or airline employee before placing luggage on the belt. Yet the space allotted to lobbies remains as massive as years ago. Meanwhile, travelers still wait in cramped gate areas. ÒThatÕs going to change the architecture of a terminal,Ó Askew said. ÒThe big room will need to be someplace else. It really needs to be where the passengers are waiting for the airplane. Where people spend their time is going to be the space where the airports spend more money and give more area for people to do things.Ó As security screening evolves, airports someday could change further. The architects arenÕt security experts, but they know enough to suggest future terminals may not have screening stations. Instead, they say, technology could allow airports to constantly screen people Ñ and their bags Ñ as they walk through terminals. If security services adopted the technology, architects could rethink space now dedicated to screening. ÒThat will make the security portal less of a portal and more of an open causeway,Ó Young said. ÒYou wonÕt know you are being screened and youÕre being scanned constantly.Ó LESS PARKING A decade or two ago, planners might have predicted airports would shed parking because passengers would take public transit. At some airports, particularly outside the United States, trains and buses are efficient, though at many others, travelers still use cars to reach the airport. But while 10 years ago travelers in cars parked in airport garages, thatÕs no longer always true. Many prefer Uber and Lyft Ñ services so popular many airports have reported a significant decline in parking revenue. ThatÕs not the only issue. The architects say airports must prepare for driverless cars, and rethink whether they need parking garages at all. ÒIn our lifetime, we will see some form of manifestation that the car will drive itself,Ó CorganÕs Bell said. ÒHow will airports respond to that? There might be a need for less parking, and more curbside.Ó Driverless cars will have to be parked somewhere, but Young said owners are just as likely to send their car home as to leave it in a garage. When itÕs time for the pickup, the driverless car will return for the traveler. Few airports are knocking down garages yet, but Young said Gensler often builds new ones that can be turned into office buildings. TodayÕs garages could also become terminals. Eventually, Los Angeles International likely will construct a new Terminal 0, in what is now a parking lot next to Terminal 1. The lot is operated by a private company, but the land is owned by the airport. MORE GREEN SPACE Young calls it the, Òholy grail.Ó He said he wants more airports to install parks with plants and trees, and maybe birds or other wildlife. ThatÕs easier said than done Ñ for two reasons. Parks often canÕt be outside Ñ or at least close to runways Ñ because their inhabitants can cause danger to airplanes. ÒThe most difficult thing about putting parks into an airport is birds,Ó he said. ÒBirds and airplanes donÕt mix very well.Ó And, at least for now, airports will have trouble building parks inside because terminals, like all commercial buildings, use coated glass for their windows to block some of the sunÕs strength. SingaporeÕs airport has created a butterfly garden, with a big water feature, and Young called it a strong Òfirst forayÓ into bringing wildlife indoors. But he said airports can do better. Perhaps, he said, an airport can alter indoor lighting overnight to create conditions where a park can thrive. Then, during the day, it can maintain a better lighting experience for travelers. ÒWe know we can do itÓ Young said. ÒWe just have to work with engineers and clients that are willing to do the maintenance on them. Water features and plants and things like that, they require horticulturist, and a lot of maintenance. ItÕs not for lack of vision.Ó But Askew, of HKS, said heÕs not sure airports will ever bother with the expense of indoor parks. ÒInstead of the parking garage, there might be a park there,Ó he said. ÒWeÕre working on a terminal project that is going to have a park in front of it. But I just donÕt think youÕre going to have much of a park inside.Ó Copyright 2017 Skift. All rights reserved. From https://www.skift.com. By Brian Sumers, Skift.
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