Airport Spaces

Sitting outside of Heathrow,  I thought it was nice to have a plaza since I haven’t seen many at airports.  Airports are some fascinating public space and design spaces.  I had met an San Fran architect at TED, we talked about their architecture design and details that help “user experience”.  Places like Changi Airport in Singapore I think are quite amazing in making people comfortable in long transit times, and pay attention to little things like larger bathroom stalls (because people have luggage!)

As part of the Sketchbook Project, I chose “Travel with Me” as a theme, and aimed to fill it this trip.  Funnily it has ended up all about AIRPORTS.  My thoughts and drawings from all the airports on this trip -  Brisbane, Edinburgh, Heathrow, Singapore, JFK.  It is all scribbles about airport design, time differences, people sitting around, emotional baggage and real baggage.

Edinburgh: Architecture + Design

I stumbled upon this sign that intrigued me, and while I was hoping for a museum down this mysterious laneway, I found it was actually a government agency.

http://www.ads.org.uk/

It seems a bit like CABE and a bit like my project work at the moment about promoting urban design.  I wish I had known about them earlier to set up a time.

Edinburgh: Highlands

Lochs, Glens, Heath and my first haggis!

Beautiful daytrip enjoying scenery, quiet towns, pub lunch, and engineering fascinations at Loch Ness.

Edinburgh: Scottish Parliament

The Scottish Parliament was recommended to me before I left, and in a very historic city, I can see why this modern form must seem like such an architectural oddity.

TED: it’s a robotic bird!

Markus Fischer’s team ( German automation company Festo) unlocked the science of a bird’s wing movements and demonstrated it at the last TED session.  It whizzed around the auditorium, and they later took it to the farewell picnic, where funnily the giant seagulls joined it.  It was some beautiful artful juxtaposition to see a robotic bird in the sky with the real birds.  I thought it quite lovely.   BUT I was told later, that the seagulls would eventually attack it as a threat…ha, that’s nature for you!

TED: Simulcast Lounge

On my first day a veteran TEDster tip from someone was “be sure to get out to the simulcast lounges”.   Never had I seen this at any conference I’d been to, and agree it was great change in energy.  It was a place to eat, use electronic devices, and sit around without the formality of auditorium seats.  I would be there at least for one session a day just to mix it up.  It was an area they also used for displays, activities and conversations.  Quite the production effort really, which was one of the most remarkable kudos to their team.