Written by Gelare Danaie
Image courtesy of Pearson Airport, Lift Program
I’ve been in the business of designing airports, train stations, and subways for a long time now. I guess the reason I chose this career path is that from a young age, I’ve been passionate about flying, traveling, and transportation—or better yet, transformation. Guess what? I used to paraglide in my twenties! But when I think more deeply, I can find other reasons for my passion for airports.
#1 Emotional design
I believe airports are emotional places. From the moment we start our journey, we are both excited and stressed. We think about what can go wrong and dream of arriving at our destination; joy and panic are intertwined. Remember, we are still the same species that weren’t meant to fly. Flying is transformational.
#2 Time as an ingredient of design
Nowhere more than in an airport do we need to work with time—time as an ingredient in our design. What services, amenities, places, and experiences can we offer to bring joy back to air travel? How can we account for the ever-changing nature of airports and design something extraordinary yet flexible? In the aviation world, nothing stays the same, even in a year, let alone over the timeline of a project. The challenge is to consider time as one of the key ingredients of design.
#3 Gateway
Airports are the gateway to a place, forever associated in people’s memories as the first impression of a location. We need to find and design that character. Our team at DEXD is part of the consulting group for Pearson International Airport’s Terminal 1 and Terminal 3 Revitalization Program. Our design mandate is to create a space that is “Local and Inspiring,” reflecting the character of the region we call home. We ask ourselves: what is the essence of Toronto and the Golden Horseshoe as a place?
Now, let’s put all three ingredients together: emotions, time, and character. You’ll agree with me that designing an airport is similar to writing a novel—complex and fun!
Read more about Pearson Airport Lift Program.