Terminal E, Boston Logan International Airport

In the 1990s, anthropologist Marc Augé defined airports as non-places: spaces devoid of identity, relationships or history. Highways, interchanges, shopping centers, and airports are all spaces where multitudes of people intersect without connecting, where the historical and identity traits of the local territory seem to have zero impact.

The team at luis vidal + architects endeavored to transcend the notion of non-place in their expansion of Terminal E at Boston Logan International Airport. Establishing a close bond between the new structure and the city of Boston, they achieved their goal. Home to more than 50 internationally renowned academic and university institutions, five national sports teams, and a top ten tourist United States destination, Boston has seen its air traffic surpass 40 million passengers annually. The current situation and growth forecasts necessitated an expansion plan. Modernizing and expanding Logan Airport with four new international gates has put it on the map as a key Northeast U.S. connections destination.

From the Red Sox sports team to awesome sunsets reflecting off the waters of the bay, Boston is viscerally connected with the color red in its various hues, ranging from saturated and full to shifting and orange.

The Terminal E project’s shapes and the volume of this building symbolic and essential to the city are all defined by the aim for sustainability and the legibility of the program. Rather than burdening or further complicating the original building’s already complex shape, the designers chose a simple yet iconic solution: three fire-red bands that seem to carve through Boston’s urban landscape.

The airport’s expansion and modernization plan not only accommodates rising passenger numbers, it has rejuvenated the region’s economy, adding four new boarding gates, a new advanced-technology TSA area, and a vast hall housing shops, restaurants, and...

Proceed with your preferred purchase option to continue reading

Digital

5.49 €

Add to cart

Printed

15.00 €

Add to cart

Subscription

From 42.00 €

Choose subscription