The TWA Flight Center at JFK Airport, originally designed by Finnish architect Eero Saarinen in 1962, has recently completed its conversion into a 512-room hotel.
The hotel features restaurants, bars, and retail outlets housed inside the 200,000 sf former flight center. The hotel rooms are included in two hotel wings that sit behind the historic building and offer views of JFK’s runways.
See Also: This Marriott is poised to take over the title as the world’s tallest modular hotel
Also included in the renovated Flight Center is 50,000 sf of meeting and event space that can host up to 1,600 people, a rooftop infinity pool, a Lockheed Constellation L-1649A that has been transformed into a cocktail lounge, and a 10,000-sf fitness center, which the developers claim is the largest hotel gym in the world. Museum exhibitions on TWA, the Jet Age, and the midcentury modern design movement are available for guests to explore.
Because of its proximity to a busy airport, the design team needed to pay special attention to sound. Cerami Associates led the acoustic modeling and simulation process for the hotel. The firm began by establishing acoustic performance criteria by recording and measuring noise levels (from things such as traffic and jets taxiing and taking off) at various locations, including the rooftop. Cerami then compiled the data and made the acoustic projections for the guest rooms tangible through simulation. This allowed the TWA project team to experience a modeled guest room sound experience and choose the best option for achieving the quiet they were looking for. The result is a hotel that the team says is one of the world's quietest.
The hotel is the only on-airport, AirTrain-accessible hotel at JFK and is connected to JFK’s Terminal 5 via Saarinen’s flight tubes (as seen in the 2002 movie Catch Me If You Can).
1. Flight tubes to JetBlue Terminal 5
2. Hotel guestrooms
3. 50,000 sf event and conference center
4. 200,000 sf heart of the hotel with restaurants, bars, and retail
5. 10,000 sf fitness center
6. AirTrain to JFK
7. 4,000 parking spaces
Related Stories
| Sep 19, 2013
6 emerging energy-management glazing technologies
Phase-change materials, electrochromic glass, and building-integrated PVs are among the breakthrough glazing technologies that are taking energy performance to a new level.
| Sep 19, 2013
Roof renovation tips: Making the choice between overlayment and tear-off
When embarking upon a roofing renovation project, one of the first decisions for the Building Team is whether to tear off and replace the existing roof or to overlay the new roof right on top of the old one. Roofing experts offer guidance on making this assessment.
| Sep 16, 2013
Study analyzes effectiveness of reflective ceilings
Engineers at Brinjac quantify the illuminance and energy consumption levels achieved by increasing the ceiling’s light reflectance.
| Sep 13, 2013
Loews Hotels & Resorts announces major cross-portfolio upgrades
Loews Hotels & Resorts is currently in the midst of a major growth and property redesign initiative, reflecting a strong national trend in hospitality renovation.
| Sep 11, 2013
BUILDINGChicago eShow Daily – Day 3 coverage
Day 3 coverage of the BUILDINGChicago/Greening the Heartland conference and expo, taking place this week at the Holiday Inn Chicago Mart Plaza.
| Sep 10, 2013
BUILDINGChicago eShow Daily – Day 2 coverage
The BD+C editorial team brings you this real-time coverage of day 2 of the BUILDINGChicago/Greening the Heartland conference and expo taking place this week at the Holiday Inn Chicago Mart Plaza.
| Sep 4, 2013
Smart building technology: Talking results at the BUILDINGChicago/ Greening the Heartland show
Recent advancements in technology are allowing owners to connect with facilities as never before, leveraging existing automation systems to achieve cost-effective energy improvements. This BUILDINGChicago presentation will feature Procter & Gamble’s smart building management program.
| Sep 3, 2013
Delinquency rate for commercial real estate loans at lowest level in three years
The delinquency rate for US commercial real estate loans in CMBS dropped for the third straight month to 8.38%. This represents a 10-basis-point drop since July's reading and a 175-basis-point improvement from a year ago.
| Aug 26, 2013
What you missed last week: Architecture billings up again; record year for hotel renovations; nation's most expensive real estate markets
BD+C's roundup of the top construction market news for the week of August 18 includes the latest architecture billings index from AIA and a BOMA study on the nation's most and least expensive commercial real estate markets.
| Aug 22, 2013
Energy-efficient glazing technology [AIA Course]
This course discuses the latest technological advances in glazing, which make possible ever more efficient enclosures with ever greater glazed area.
