99% Invisible #32- Design for Airports (Standard 4:30 Version)

Piece Description

When I spoke with Allison Arieff about the design of airports, she said to me, if all airports simply played Brian Eno’s album Ambient 1: Music for Airports over the speakers, every airport would be better. I say this to serve not only as an introduction to Allison Arieff, but also so you’ll know that she is someone whose judgment is perfectly true.

Using T2 at SFO as an example, Allison Arieff of the New York Times talks us through some of the considerations that go into designing an airport terminal, how the priorities have changed since 9/11, and how architects struggle to keep pace with ever-changing technology.

Allison Arieff writes and consults about architecture, design, sustainability and food. She is the former editor in chief of Dwell magazine, co-author of the books “Prefab” and “Trailer Travel,” and the editor of numerous books on design and culture, including “Airstream: The History of the Land Yacht” and “Cheap Hotels.”