The elements of good design can be found anywhere, as the new airport in Istanbul amply demonstrates. An inspiring marriage of cultural expression, aesthetic principles, and construction methods, Istanbul Airport’s extensive footprint will include the usual airport features such as passenger terminals and runways, as well as places to live and work while enjoying access to commerce, healthcare, and recreational activities.
Finding Inspiration in an Airport
The concept photos of the airport show spacious terminals with towering pillars, floor-to-ceiling windows, and areas of curvaceous and straight-line walkways. It may be unusual to draw inspiration from an airport, but looking at it holistically, it’s a lovely and eclectic combination of diverse design elements. It shows just how effective it can be to let your creativity flow and think outside conventional ways of doing things. The usage of indoor trees and greenery coupled with strategic seating arrangements creates warmth and coziness, a nice contrast to the soaring futuristic design of the walls and ceilings.
Small Steps, Great Progress
A substantial project like the Istanbul Airport isn’t accomplished in a few short weeks, months, or even years. In fact, from construction to completion, it’s expected to take a little more than a decade, opening in phases every few years. This is a good reminder that grand projects are possible. The caveat is that perhaps they need to be tackled in smaller, more manageable steps. This holds true for large infrastructure projects as well as small personal projects.
Find the Joy in What You Know
Visitors to the Istanbul Airport will recognize familiar design elements that couch the latest technological tools, with airport architecture reflecting that of nearby mosques and historic venues. It’s a strong statement that the architects have made here, to suggest that no matter how times and trends change, the root of success is in the basics, the core principles of what a society values: in this case, their strong faith and long, storied history as a people and as a country. By keeping your values in view at every stage of a project, and relying on them for inspiration when the going gets tough, it’s possible to achieve greater depth and authenticity in your work.
Inspiration can strike anywhere. Part of being able to catch it is simply being in the right place at the right time; but part of it is also having the right frame of mind. Awareness of what makes certain big design projects work, like the Istanbul Airport, for example, can help improve your ability to be receptive to new and innovative thinking about your own projects.
Photo Credit: IGA
