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
| Jul 17, 2013
CBRE recognizes nation's best green research projects
A rating system for comparative tenant energy use and a detailed evaluation of Energy Star energy management strategies are among the green research projects to be honored by commercial real estate giant CBRE Group.
| Jul 10, 2013
World's best new skyscrapers [slideshow]
The Bow in Calgary and CCTV Headquarters in Beijing are among the world's best new high-rise projects, according to the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat.
| Jul 10, 2013
TED talk: Architect Michael Green on why we should build tomorrow's skyscrapers out of wood
In a newly posted TED talk, wood skyscraper expert Michael Green makes the case for building the next-generation of mid- and high-rise buildings out of wood.
High-rise Construction | Jul 9, 2013
5 innovations in high-rise building design
KONE's carbon-fiber hoisting technology and the Broad Group's prefab construction process are among the breakthroughs named 2013 Innovation Award winners by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat.
| Jul 3, 2013
Mall of America will double in size after $2.5 billion expansion
The nation's largest indoor mall will undergo a $2.5 billion, 10-year expansion project that will add attractions like an NHL-sized skating rink and an indoor water park.
| Jul 2, 2013
LEED v4 gets green light, will launch this fall
The U.S. Green Building Council membership has voted to adopt LEED v4, the next update to the world’s premier green building rating system.
| Jul 1, 2013
Report: Global construction market to reach $15 trillion by 2025
A new report released today forecasts the volume of construction output will grow by more than 70% to $15 trillion worldwide by 2025.
| Jun 28, 2013
Building owners cite BIM/VDC as 'most exciting trend' in facilities management, says Mortenson report
A recent survey of more than 60 building owners and facility management professionals by Mortenson Construction shows that BIM/VDC is top of mind among owner professionals.
| Jun 17, 2013
DOE launches database on energy performance of 60,000 buildings
The Energy Department today launched a new Buildings Performance Database, the largest free, publicly available database of residential and commercial building energy performance information.
| Jun 7, 2013
Must see: Building façade made of massive concrete drain pipes
Looking to create a unique atmosphere using natural materials for the Prahran Hotel pub near Melbourne, local architect Techné Architects cleverly incorporated a series of concrete sewer pipes into the building's main façade.
