Santiago Calatrava’s Design

,for Chicago’s O’Hare Airport

-Bridges the Past and Future

INTRODUCTION:
 Chicago is a city steeped in rich architecture. Sure, it's often
referred to as the Second City. But let's not forget that it did have
the first skyscraper, in 1885 (the Home Insurance Building), and,
after it was completed in 1974, the Sears Tower remained the
tallest skyscraper in the world for more than 20 years. Throughout
the 20th century, it was an urban landscape where architects such
as Louis Sullivan, John Wellborn Root, and Mies van der Rohe
turned structural issues on their head, resulting in buildings that
were deemed works of art. Today, Chicago's downtown is filled
with dazzling examples of Art Deco, while its suburbs include
dozens of Frank Lloyd Wright–designed buildings. But what does
all of this say about its main airport, the first structure people see
when entering the city by air, and the lasting memories of it when
they depart? According to the Federal Aviation
Administration, Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport received
over 38 million passengers in 2017 , placing it third in the country,
behind Los Angeles and Atlanta, for having the most trafficked
airport in the country. According to anyone who has flown through
O'Hare, however, it's a logistical nightmare that leaves even the
most seasoned traveler anxious and confused. Which is precisely
why the city has recently spearheaded a new campaign to
completely renovate the major international airport.
REQUIREMENT:
The request from the city was simple in declaration if demanding
in execution: to design a futuristic terminal to replace and expand
the aging 1960s-era Terminal 2. After months of speculation, the
design competition to reimagine O’Hare narrowed the pool to five
architectural concepts for the $8.5 billion project. The finalists are
literally the who's-who in the world of architecture. Just consider
the list: Foster + Partners (who is teaming up with local firms
Epstein and JGMA); Studio Gang Architects; Skidmore, Owings &
Merrill; Colorado-based Fentress Architects; and Santiago
Calatrava.

DESIGN EXPLANATION:
Calatrava's design was inspired by Chicago's seal, which includes a Latin phrase that translates as "The City in a Garden."

Calatrava is well-seasoned in designing these grand spaces, and while his

instincts may be modern, the architect's foundation has been formed with a
sincere appreciation of the past. "Grand Central Terminal in New York
recently celebrated its 100th anniversary," says Calatrava. "When it opened,
it handled 30,000 users per day. Yet, today, it’s taking half a million or more
people each day. And it’s still the same infrastructure, particularly the Grand
Hall. So the question must be asked : Why doesn't this happen with our
airports?" For Calatrava, success in these massive spaces can only be
achieved if there is logic in how pedestrians flow through the area. "The
quality of the space is essential for the people inside of it. It's the ease of
orientation that will allow for better adaptation in the future. Because this
ease of orientation is the one design element that is universal and will
provide its longevity."
 "My approach was two-part. Inside of Chicago's seal, there is a child sitting
in a shell, so why not give Chicago a grand new structure that also sits within
a shell? Architecturally, shells are also very efficient structures in terms of
space and efficiency," Calatrava explains. "Secondly, the seal reads, 'Urbs in
Horto,' which in Latin means, 'The City in a Garden.' We took this to heart,
and felt that creating a garden within the airport could really be an
ambassador for what the city really is." To this end, Calatrava's design
includes 67,000 square feet of vegetation space (including plants native to
Chicago as well as its 28 sister cities, which include Amman, Jordan; Bogotá,
Colombia; Delhi, India; Paris; and Mexico City, among others).

The column-free space, a hallmark of many Calatrava-design transportation structures, allows for ease of passage for
commuters.

OBSERVATION :
Looking at Calatrava's design from an aerial perspective, one is
struck by the architect's ability to make steel look as if it were
wind rippling across a surface of water. There's a rhythm in the
structure, one that bends with an ease that's difficult to accomplish
in buildings of its size. "Right now, airports are simply made up of
several terminals. But I think this will change," Calatrava argues.
"Airports need an identity, a main hall that defines the dignity of
the space and allows people to move fluidly throughout its
ancillary parts." To do this, Calatrava implemented his signature
touch of a column-free interior, a move that provides much
visibility to anyone who walks through the space. Yet he didn't
want to simply gut O'Hare's infrastructure to achieve this. The
architect was keenly aware of the architectural history of Chicago
and wanted to use that to enhance his design. "We took several
steps in maintaining the history and existing architecture of the
airport," says Micael Calatrava, one of Santiago's sons, who also
serves as the CEO of his father’s office in Dubai. "First, we
brought the three terminals together, not by physically
changing any of the other structures but by joining the colors
to match that which would be seen at the arrival hall." Colors
are one thing; however, reviving the grandeur of a bygone era
is something else entirely. "We've kept the existing rotunda at
O'Hare," Micael Calatrava notes. "We looked through historical
archives to do our part in reviving this rotunda to its historical
grandeur."

At the time of this article's publication, Chicago is colder than

certain parts of Antarctica. This is alarming for several reasons,
including the fact that Calatrava's design features a significant
amount of glass. Is this a design flaw that Chicagoans should be
concerned about? According to Calatrava's team, absolutely not.
"We’ve done two very important things to accommodate to the
extreme temperatures," explains Micael Calatrava. "First, the roof
is perfectly sloped in a way that an individual can clean off any
debris from the roof, be it snow or ice, without the assistance of
machinery. Furthermore, we've implemented more advanced
technologies into the ceiling to, in the case of Chicago’s winters,
melt extreme amounts of ice and snow." It's not the first time the
firm has faced the difficult task of designing massive structures in
extreme temperatures. "We are very much aware of this concern
and are confident that our design will do fine in extreme
temperatures, as it has in other buildings we’ve completed in the
past," Santiago Calatrava adds.