IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2016 - 12

TALK, TALK |

2 Designers On 1 Topic

TWO AVIATION DESIGNERS discuss what
it takes to elevate the airport experience for all travelers.
By | Tegan Jones

A

PERSPECTIVE: What elements do the most to improve

traveler experience? 
WILSON RAYFIELD: We're looking at things that improve

the passenger experience in terms of efficiency, wayfinding,
and access. Often, it's that intuitive wayfinding-trying to
create as few decision points as possible and provide visual
cues to your destination. For example, in the international
terminal in Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International
Airport, Atlanta, Georgia, USA, the ticket counters, the floor
pattern, the ceiling pattern, and the lighting are angled and
lead visually toward your direction of travel. All the lines lead
your eye toward the direction that you need to be moving in.
DERRICK CHOI: I'm a big advocate of a passenger-centric
design approach based on three basic principles: convenience,
control, and connectivity. Passengers, no matter how
seasoned they are, just need to be in control of where they are.
They've got to be connected physically, mentally, and, these
days, technologically. Once all these elements are achieved,
a passenger can actually begin to engage and experience the
terminal facilities and start to make decisions as to what they
like and what they don't like.
PERSPECTIVE: Elaborate features-such as the
world's largest indoor waterfall at Singapore's
Changi Airport-have become a mainstay of
modern airport design. Are today's airports too
focused on flash?
RAYFIELD: I think that has a lot to do with
the context and with the community. What's
appropriate in Changi, Singapore is probably
not appropriate in Nashville, Tennessee, [USA].
It's a matter of finding things that make the airport
represent the region it serves. We did a modernization
project in Norfolk, Virginia, [USA] recently. With the

12

perspective

iida.org/perspective

Wilson Rayfield

"

Passengers,
no matter
how
seasoned
they are,
just need
to be in
control
of where
they are.

"

Airport design is reaching new heights. With hundreds
of millions of travelers passing through these spaces
every year, designers are tasked with delivering a
seamless and comfortable experience to regular
business commuters and first-time fliers alike.
So what makes a great traveler experience?
Aviation designers Wilson Rayfield, AIA, LEED
AP, executive vice president at Gresham, Smith and
Partners, Richmond, Virginia, USA, and Derrick Choi,
AIA, LEED AP, principal and senior architect at Populous,
Boston, Massachusetts, USA, check in to chat on this topic.

-Derrick Choi,
AIA, LEED AP,
principal and
senior architect,
Populous,
Boston,
Massachusetts,
USA

Derrick Choi

design of the terrazzo flooring, integrating some of the
nautical elements there, we refer back to the history
of the region without being overwhelming. It's part
of the fabric of the design and the finishes, so it's
something that is recognizable if you find it. But it
doesn't stand out and scream at you.
CHOI: I think every community has a unique story
that they'd like to tell, like the Victorian-era train
stations in Europe. But ultimately, financial viability is
key for these public gateways. This emphasis on revenue-
and the reality that passenger travel patterns have dramatically
shifted in the past 15 years-has really put the emphasis on
customer convenience, amenities, and concessions. Because
of that, there's a bit of a misperception that it's all about these
elaborate elements, particularly in the global context. These
airports are pulling out all the stops-not only to make their
operations highly affordable and attractive to airlines, but to
attract passengers from all over the world.
PERSPECTIVE: What future trends will shape airports?
RAYFIELD: I think security is going to drive airport design

more than anything. Instead of having a secure side and
a non-secure side with a single security checkpoint in the
center, the entire airport environment will be a secure
environment where they're identifying passengers through
facial recognition and other technologies. Security is going
to become ubiquitous throughout the entire facility, and
I think it's going to start to become more invisible. After
security, another driver is the movement toward a greater
reliance on self-service passenger processing for check-in,
bag check, and similar tasks, which gives passengers more
control over their travel experiences and has significant
repercussions for terminal design.
CHOI: I think technology will continue to be a huge
driver of change in several aspects. It'll radically
transform the way we think about the building.
Many traditional passenger processes and physical
touchpoints are being transformed, repurposed,
and even blurred-creating what will hopefully
be a more frictionless user environment. For
example, in many airports, they're ripping out
your traditional hold room seating and creating
more user-friendly spaces that are served by iPads
and food service vendors that let you tap and order.
Being able to have that technology will change the way
you use a facility and spend money.
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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2016
