A VAST AND BEAUTIFUL STATE-OF-THE ART TERMINAL
The stylish JetBlue terminal at JFK International Airport restores flying to its former grandeur, but with high technology. WE-EF FLA740 area floodlights illuminate the roadway approaching the departure area, giving departing passengers a bright and cheerful send-off.
The New York International Airport opened in 1942 (better known as Idlewild Airport) and renamed as the John F. Kennedy International Airport in 1963. In 1962 the TWA Flight Centre, designed by the Finnish-American architect Eero Saarinen, opened and is now on the National Register of Historic Places. Famously dubbed by Robert A.M. Stern as “Grand Central of the jet age”, the building is truly a monument to flight.
Soon to open after extensive renovations, the TWA Flight Centre will be an e-Ticket access point for the JetBlue Terminal. Known as T5, JetBlue’s terminal complements the modernist-architectural style of the TWA building. It is the first terminal designed exclusively for the New York City-based airline. Lighting designer Fisher Marantz Stone and the architect, Rockwell Group, together with Gensler completed the 55,000-ft2 project in 2008 for US$ 550 million.
T5 has much more character than most air terminals, deliberately evoking the style of the TWA Flight Centre as well as NYC’s unique spirit – diverse, bustling and strong. Like the exuberant and tireless city, the facility emphasizes speed and energy. Flying can be stressful and hurried, but T5 is all about comfort and efficiency.
WE-EF FLA740 area floodlights, equipped with 150 W metal halide lamps, are mounted to WE-EF tapered aluminum poles, and are cleanly integrated with the perimeter wall. The luminaire complements the exposed steel, corrugated metal and glass of the terminal exterior, providing an excellent example of simple materials used in a sophisticated way.
Powerful [A60] asymmetric ‘forward throw’ optics allow for even illumination of the four-lane roadway. The FLA740 luminaires meet the required footcandle levels in an efficient yet subtle way, so the historic TWA Flight Centre and JetBlue T5 architecture may shine.
Architects: Rockwell Group, Gensler
Lighting Designer: Fisher Marantz Stone Partners