As we pass through the gates of the city to a new destination, what should we expect?
If I were to arrive at Paris’ Charles De Gaulle airport, would I expect to be met by the smell of Camembert and the site of divine art? If I arrived in Cairo, would there be some connection with the Cradle of Civilisation? Would I hear the cool strains of jazz in New York City’s JFK?
And what if I arrived in London? Would there be a heightened sense of formality, the bustle and power of one the world’s leading economic centres or the avant-garde image of a leading fashion and cultural centre?
Currently what I experience is different from what I anticipate. London’s airport hubs do portray a truth, but frankly it’s a rather crude way of being greeted at the new millennium city gates, and not one that should be associated with a forward-looking, culturally diverse city.
Why shouldn’t airports be the cultural gateway to the destination for which they are the precursor? Why shouldn’t they have a responsibility to be an ambassador for their country, not for the architect, with his or her personal aesthetic stamped onto all corners of the world, irrespective of geography?
As you pass through any airport, your impression of your final destination is beginning to form and you can’t help but judge a book by its cover. An airport is bound to create a view, a first impression, no matter how inaccurate it is of the city it calls home.
There are exceptions, thank goodness. For a moment let’s fly to Norway. As you leave the plane you are instantly struck by the serenity of the experience. Yes there is advertising, yes there are shops, but they are all managed under the canopy of ‘contemporary Scandinavian style’. Warm but robust timber facings to the check-in and service desks that match the floor. Monumental concrete columns, like lone pines form a structure spanned by curvaceous timber beams. Signage that is clear but quiet and well mannered. Shops that are subjugated to a firm, unyielding design framework. Does this feel like the gateway to Oslo, to Norway, to Scandinavia? Emphatically and enjoyably, yes! Subtle use of materials showcased within the unique and instantly recognisable sense of Scandinavian design style. A pleasure not a process.
However, please save me from yet another grinding airport machine. Silver grey walkways, cold lighting, exposed air conditioning, reflective surfaces, endless Accenture and HSBC advertising, global coffee, international luxury brands and generic soulless high tech. A blank, numb shopping centre with planes parked outside like buses…
Let the airport be the first true point of contact with the country of destination. Fascinating, surprising and soaked in personality. A terminal that talks to you as opposed to processes you. Now that would be a first.
Branding can help create an understandable context for all audiences. Now is the time to use it to make the experience clearer, more relevant and more valuable.
Before you ask what’s the best airport in the world?...Barra, the one in Scotland where you land on the beach and the scones are made fresh every day by the lady who lives up on the hill.
Written by Peter Knapp
Global Creative Director
Landor Associates
+44 (0) 207 880 8000
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