There are a thousand good reasons to avoid travelling through Tel Aviv Ben Gurion Airport.

And a couple of very good reasons.

The public transport connections, for example, between Israel’s only relevant international airport and Israel’s only relevant metropolises are so arduous and poorly co-ordinated it makes one long for the days of The Crusades, when reaching Jaffa or Jerusalem from Europe involved little more taxing than travelling for eight weeks by horse and sailing ship.

And then having explored the country and found it to be an open, friendly, tolerant, welcoming nation, on attempting to depart Israel one is, albeit in cowardly silence, accused of having only travelled to the country to source explosives which you now plan to detonate on your flight home. And are treated with the according lack of respect.

However, by far the best reason to avoid flying at least out of Ben Gurion Airport Tel Aviv comes after the marathon “Where have you hidden the bomb?” rubdown.

Having made it through security before old age and/or boredom kills you, you arrive in a shopping oasis. A shopping oasis strewn with the cheapest Le Corbusier LC2 copies we believe we have ever seen.

Le Corbusier LC2 copies at Ben Gurion Airport Tel Aviv.

That “Bauhaus Tel Aviv” isn’t, is slowly being understood. But then the architects responsible never pretended it was. Popular convention has resulted in the sobriquet.

And while the overwhelming majority of architects who built The White City may not have been Bauhaus alumni per se, they were of an age and time when the teachings of Walter Gropius, Hannes Meyer and co were very much en vogue. Plus as we know, at the same time as Tel Aviv was being built numerous Bauhaus graduates were busy building the Kibbutzim. It would somehow be perverse if there had been no interaction, no attempt to channel the brave new ideas.

There was, therefore, no copying or faking going on… just a lot of interpreting current trends from afar.

And they did a fantastic job of it and have created a varied, interesting and functional urban environment.

The furniture is a different story.

The chairs in Ben Gurion Airport are copies of someone else’s work. Bad, poor quality copies that give the impression that neither designer nor producer have the faintest idea as to what they are doing.

And so whereas the buildings in downtown Tel Aviv reinforce the positive elements of the generic “Bauhaus” style. The chairs in the airport devalue Le Corbusier’s canon and his contribution to 20th century design.

That the state controlled Israel Airports Authority have chosen such chairs for Ben Gurion Airport is not just reprehensible, it’s also highly regrettable.

When we were speaking to British design professionals ahead of the London Olympics several expressed their satisfaction at how the authorities in the UK were incorporating British designers into major infrastructure projects and thus giving British design a platform. One of the most regularly quoted projects was Heathrow Airport.

Airports are obviously gateways; it’s not an analogy you need you have studied semantics to understand. People from foreign lands pass through airports. As a general rule twice. In quick succession.

One can therefore use them as a platform for presenting all that is good, challenging, interesting, exciting, stereotypical, modern, profitable, vibrant, different in your country.

Or, in the case of Ben Gurion Airport Tel Aviv, show your complete contempt for creative talent.

Israel may not have the greatest depth of design talent, but what it has is excellent. From the likes of Ron Arad (Tel Aviv, 1951) over Arik Levy (Tel Aviv, 1963) or Jair Straschnow (Rehovot, 1965) and on to the ever reliable flow of high-quality graduates from internationally recognised institutions such as the Bezalel Academy of Art and Design Jerusalem, including the London based design studio Raw Edges (Yael Mer and Shay Alkalay, both Tel Aviv 1976), Israeli designers have made and continue to make an important contribution to the evolution of global design. And of course since 2010 the Design Museum Holon has provided a national focus point for contemporary design.

Ten kms away Ben Gurion Airport invest in very cheap, very poor copies of internationally recognised design classics.

Inexplicably.

And so maybe, in retrospect, when all is said and done, it is perhaps not such a bad thing that security takes so long, otherwise we’d all have to endure the farce even longer.

From afar they may make a good impression... but don't get too close.

Back in April we asked Pascal Berberat, Head of the Vitra Airport Division why airport seating always has armrests. And thus denies us all the chance to lie down and snooze.

A flippant question we concede, but such issues of course take on a very real significance when your flight is delayed and you find yourself with an unexpected overnight stay in the airport.

What ya gonna do?

Currently airports have either nothing to offer, meaning passengers have to find a way to make themselves comfortable on the airport floor. Or they have canvas, army style, camping beds which are often only slightly more comfortable than lying on the floor.

For her diploma project at the Kunsthochschule Berlin-Weisensee Chien-Hui Ko developed “Resmo” an absolutely ingenious folding emergency bedding system made from felt and specifically designed for all forced to camp out at an airport.

Usable either as a seat or flat as a bed, what really caught our imagination was the flap that allows the users a little bit of privacy in an otherwise public environment.

A truly wonderful example of paying attention to the function of the piece in the context of where it is intended to be used.

In addition Resmo folds, pretty, flat and so there should no storage problems – at least not an airport which one would hope has contingency plans in case of passengers suffering long delays – is light, can be easily transported and being made from felt also has an acoustic effect meaning that it helps reduce background noise and so improves the ambiance for all. A not inconsequential consideration given the potentially high number of irritated passengers: Anything that soothes the atmosphere has to be positive.

Naturally we don’t see the use of such a system as being automatically limited to airports; Resmo can obviously also be employed in case of floods, fires or other mass evacuations.

And theoretically you could even keep a couple in the office for power-naps, relaxing after a long tele-conference etc, etc, etc…

All in all one of the best diploma projects we’ve seen so far this year.

Resmo by Chien-Hui Ko

Resmo by Chien-Hui Ko

The history of furniture design is strewn with works that briefly graced the public stage before vanishing without the honour of a curtain call.

Crawl through the cellar of any major furniture producer and you’ll find them; the perfectly mummified remains of genuine design classics that failed to transform their creative majesty into hard cash.

Such as the so-called “Girard Group” by Alexander Girard.

Although best known for his textile and wallpaper designs Alexander Girard wasn’t averse to turning his hand to furniture design.

In addition to assisting Charles and Ray Eames with the creation of the La Fonda Armchair for the restaurant of the same name, Girard also created a wonderful collection of furniture for the lounges of Braniff Airlines. A partnership we wrote about in a previous post. Pastel coloured fuselages and all.

And from his Braniff lounge furniture the seating is the obvious highpoint.

Very much of their time, yet quite unlike anything George Nelson, Charles Eames or any of Alexander Girard’s other colleagues were creating, the “Girard Group” seating is defined by a wonderful low-level, flowing form. Technically they are linear and quadratic; you’d never guess by looking at them though.

Constructed from plywood and urethane foam with cast aluminium legs and back-supports, the chairs were upholstered in Herman Miller fabrics and available in pretty much any combination of colours and material types.

While not necessarily something we’d particularly want to spend a whole evening sitting watching telly in, for an airport lounge, hotel lobby or other public seating area they look pretty much perfect.

The tables don’t rock our boat quite as much. A little too restrained, don’t really look fully thought through. Look a little too much like a necessary, unloved afterthought.

But the seating…..

Although publicly released by Herman Miller in 1967, just two years later the “Girard Group” was discontinued. Simply being too expensive for the market.

Sadly. For they are truly the most delightful objects.

Lost Furniture Design Classics: A sofa from the Girard Group by Alexander Girard for Herman Miller (Photo © Herman Miller Archive)

And an armchair from the same collection (Photo © Herman Miller Archive)

We suspect the reason we write so much about designer furniture in an airport context is simply because of the amount of time we spend in airports.

And consequently the amount of time we spend thinking about and analysing what we are being offered.

If you’re going to be delayed at Frankfurt for five hours. You want to make sure that your seat is comfy.

If you’re going to have to spend the night at Copenhagen Airport. You want to make sure your seat is comfy.

If you’re… you get the idea.

However it’s not just us who are spending ever more time at airports. The past decade has seen a dramatic rise in airline passenger numbers: and ever greater passenger numbers obviously means an ever greater demand for airports and airport infrastructure.

And as with all such architectural projects, the owners and operators want an interior that is as familiar as it is unique.

The biggest and most important trade fair for airport operators is Passenger Terminal Expo, and in addition to companies offering baggage handling and signage solutions, designer furniture producers such as Vitra or USM Haller are also a regular feature of the show.

Passenger Terminal Expo 2012 is being hosted by Vienna Airport, and ahead of the show we spoke to Pascal Berberat, Head of Vitra’s Airport Division, about airport furnishings, their collaboration with Alberto Meda and, most important for us, why seats in airports always have armrests? But started by asking why a globally active company such as Vitra needed a specialised airport division?

Pascal Berberat: The airport business is globally very uniform. Where, for example, the choice of home furnishings is often affected by cultural aspects; airports are very similar and have similar requirements regardless of where they are. And so where Vitra has an international network of agents and specialist dealers for home and office furniture, it makes more sense to have a central airport department. Plus an airport isn’t just departure lounges it is more like a small city, with shops, medical facilities, restaurants etc… so a wide range of zones where furniture is required. And so in that respect Vitra can offer a wide range of solutions and experience in all types of furnishings.

(smow)blog: Staying with departure lounges. What for you are the most important criteria for airport seating?

Pascal Berberat: For me it is about combining the, sometimes conflicting, requirements of the passengers need and right for well being with the airport or the operators need for efficiency.

(smow)blog: In that context. In addition to specifically created products such as the Airline Series from Sir Norman Foster, you also offer various Vitra classics from, for example, Maarten Van Severen as airport seating. Is that necessary? Why not just stick with one, specially created, product?

Pascal Berberat: Nowadays everybody is talking about ecology and sustainability. A topic which has been anchored in Vitra’s processes for decades. However, being actively engaged in sustainability doesn’t just mean using renewable resources, optimizing waste management, designing products with a long life cycle, etc. It is also about offering our clients products with a visual sustainability. We’re all guilty of having once thrown out an object that was still working or had been in good shape. We dumped it because it was out of fashion.
Through working with a variety of designers, in particular with the “old masters” like George Nelson, Jean Prouvé or Charles and Ray Eames we learn what is important to successfully develop products which are not only long lasting but also have a visual sustainability. Considering that 90% of CO2 emissions are generated during the manufacturing process of a product, what is more ecological: using a product for decades or replacing it every 5 years because it’s aesthetics seem to be outdated? Vitra’s history with the old masters combined with the freshness of  contemporary designers and engineers allow us to develop products with the potential to become classics of the future.

(smow)blog: Which leads nicely on to the next question. You recently worked with Alberto Meda on the Meda Gate series? Why Alberto Meda, who is after all best known for his office furniture ?

Pascal Berberat: Alberto Meda has worked on numerous projects with Vitra, and has created successful concepts for us in the past. Alberto Meda is a designer and engineer: which makes him perfect for the specific and particular demands of an airport seat. Thanks to Alberto Meda’s engineering excellence we now have in Meda Gate a product which not only responds to the extraordinary heavy use situation in airports; but also offers superior comfort in an very elegant aesthetic. Plus one has to add that in addition to his technical competence he is a very charismatic person and it is a real joy to work with him!

(smow)blog: To end. You’ve already said what you find important in airport chairs. Now its our turn. One thing that annoys us is armrests on chairs in airports. Why don’t you want to let us sleep?

Pascal Berberat: When people lie on benches at airports, one person takes up a whole bench. And then the airport’s capacity calculations don’t work. I have three seats, but only one user. And so instead we offer recliner elements within the Airline and Meda series for use in areas where airports expect higher numbers of transit passengers….

Vitra Airport Division. Here at Passenger Terminal Expo 2011 in Copenhagen

Meda Gate by Alberto Meda for Vitra

In addition to departure lounges airports also have VIP and Airline Lounges that need to be furnished. For example with Suita by Antonio Citterio.

While critics denounce such as an easy and obvious way to generate content – for us reviewing the past year is an important step in planning our activities for the coming year: where to go, who to talk to, what to sit on and, just as importantly, what to ignore or give up.

The only real problem for us is that in preparing such we realise just how much material we haven’t had the chance to use – and so receive an impression of how much more material we will acquire in the coming year.

Heck!

Reading Table by Uli Budde @ Designers Fair 2010 Cologne

The year started, as ever, with IMM and Designers Fair in Cologne. Aside from the opportunity to roll out a few anti-carnival gags the trip introduced us to some wonderful new products/designers, specifically; Uli Budde, Christian Lessing, Martin Neuhaus, Alexander Gufler, maigrau, Tim Baute etc, etc, etc…

A further highlight was the introduction of Herbert Hirche’s Interbau 57 armchair through Richard Lampert.

Negative was the lack of innovation and – if we’re honest – quality on display at IMM. For Germany’s most important furniture trade fair it just simply wasn’t good enough.

Let’s see what IMM 2011 brings.

In February we were then on much safer ground with the opening of the VitraHaus on the Vitra Campus in Weil am Rhein and a visit to the MoormannHaus in Aschau in Chiemgau.

Moormann Haus, Aschau in Chiemgau

Aside from the way the VitraHaus majestically appears before you, for us the real joy is the decision to include “non-Vitra” items in the displays – very much in the spirit of Charles and Ray Eames‘ “Collage” principle of interior design.

If we did have one wish for 2011 it would be that rather than only including established designers, that Vitra include one or the other design from a young designer or two in the VitraHaus exhibition space.

VitraHaus is big enough to give young talent a chance.

While the MoormannHaus is every bit as spectacular a piece of architecture as Vitra’s, the real highlight of the trip to Aschau was Berge - the Moormann auberge

Much more than a delightful base for a trip to the Bavarian Alps – Berge is much more a wonderful introduction to the Moormann philosophy.

In March (smow)airport systems premiered their range of USM Haller based airport solutions at the Passenger Terminal Expo 2010 in Brussels. Created in cooperation with USM Haller , (smow) airport systems have developed a range of solutions for both operative, Lounge and Retail areas of airports – solutions that were very well received by the PTE visitors.

The company name and structure may have changed since PTE 2010 but we will be at PTE 2011 in Copenhagen to both follow the development of the project as well as to report on other developments in airport / public area furniture world.

Full house in the (smow)room for the Leipzig Buchmesse readings

Back in Leipzig March is Buchmesse and March 2010 saw the most successful series of readings ever in the (smow)room in Burgplatz.

Ever!

Starting with Grillsaison from Philipp Kohlhöfer and then moving on over “New voices from Switzerland” to “Meine Frau will einen Garten” by Gerhard Matzig the three readings provided three very different if equally enjoyable experiences.

More so in 2011 !

Alberto Meda @ Orgatec 2010

Although he was not showing any new products at Orgatec 2010 Alberto Meda used the show to catch up a little on what other designers were up to.

And when we caught up with Alberto Meda on the Vitra stand we learned something wonderful: Alberto Meda uses the same office chair as the (smow)blog crew…

(smow)blog: Unless we’ve missed something you aren’t showing anything at Orgatec 2010?

Alberto Meda: No, but I am working on a new product with Vitra, but that is not yet ready and so I am just here to see what is happening. Every designer doesn’t know what the other designers are doing and so for me its’s nice to see some new projects.

(smow)blog: One of your better known products is the MedaPal chair, what was the background to the chair, where did the idea come from?

Alberto Meda: The idea was an evolution of the previous chair designs with a different kinematic system within the structure. To keep the price down we decided to go back to more traditional ways of constructing office chairs. Which means we have a mechanical platform onto which you can add the seat and other components. And so we made first the MedaPro and then the MedaPal. The MedaPal is more economic because the seat does not move, but you still have a lot of comfort and the lumber support is very good and I have been using this chair every day for two years…

(smow)blog: .. the MedaPal ?…

Alberto Meda: … yes…

(smow)blog: …we also have a MedaPal. And, are you happy with it?

MedaPal by Alberto Meda for Vitra:

Alberto Meda: [laughs]… very happy. And when people come to me I let them sit in it and let them play with the mechanics and set the forces and the response is always positive.

(smow)blog: And any current projects you can tell us about?

Alberto Meda: I recently made an airport chair with Vitra which I am very happy with called MedaGate…

(smow)blog: … you like the prefix “Meda” …

Alberto Meda: [laughs] … no, no Vitra decide that, it is not my idea. MedaGate was launched at the Passenger Terminal Expo in March, and my next project is with Vitra, but I cannot say anything about that. But it will be a chair.

(smow)blog: Which we’re looking forward to already. Many thanks!

Alexander Girard

We used to love flying. But after Lufthansa’s decision to send us on unwanted world tour rather than directly from Frankfurt to Edinburgh we’re getting a bit sick of the sight of boarding gates.

And so as we flew pointlessly around Northern Europe we found ourselves pinning for Alexander Girard.

Although principally remembered as one of the worlds leading authorities on folk art, Alexander Girard was also one of the first “corporate graphic designers”; and undoubtedly his most aesthetic commission was that for Braniff Airways.

Back in the day when flying was a relaxing joy and airlines still treated guests as important.

Having, allegedly, received his pilots license from Orville Wright, Paul Braniff founded “Paul R. Braniff, Inc., Airline…Oklahoma City to Tulsa” in 1928. Over the next three decades the airline grew with the American economy and entered the jet age in 1959 with the purchase of their first Boeing 707.

In 1965 Alexander Girard was commissioned to redesign the airlines corporate identity.

The central feature of Girard’s concept was the use of single pastel colours for the fuselages, seven in all; red, blue, brown, green, orange, yellow and grey.

The result was not only a highly distinctive and individual fleet of 707s; but a distinctive and individual fleet of 707s that still looks fresh and exciting today.

But not just the airplanes themselves were painted in Girard’s pastel colours, the concept included luggage trolleys, staircases, vans, tow trucks and indeed everything that an airline needs on the roll-field.

In addition Alexander Girard designed nearly every aspect of both the plane and terminal interiors be it check in desks, seat upholstery or cutlery and crockery. The Italian fashion designer Emilio Pucci designed the uniforms.

Looking over pictures of the Braniff Airlines brand Alexander Girard created, its hard not to get romantic for those far gone days when jet airline travel was still something magical and special.

Fortunately airports themselves can still be oases of style and grace and so as we enjoyed the comfort of the Arne Jacobsen Series 7 chairs from Fritz Hansen at Frankfurt Airport, we allowed ourselves to dream of those sadly missed days.
And designers such as Alexander Girard

(More information on Braniff Airlines and some wonderful photos can be found at http://www.braniffpages.com)

Seris 7 by Arne Jacobsen for Fritz Hansen - and dreams of Braniff Airlines

In the past we have often talked about airports, airport design and airport furniture.

And not just because we want to demonstrate how much we travel and how often we are in airports.

But because we find it just as important that high-quality furniture is available in public spaces as in the home or office.

If you think your office furniture is well used – imagine the stress your average airport chair is put under.

From March 23rd until March 25th Europe’s largest airport terminal conference and exhibition will take place at Brussels Airport.

Airline airport seating by Sir Norman Foster for Vitra in Toulouse Blagnac airport

At Passanger Terminal EXPO senior airport planners, managers and designers will discuss in a series of conferences how to improve airports and the airport experience, while in the exhibition area over 150 producers will present their products- as the organisers put it- “from baggage handling and security to passenger check-in and seating solutions”

And, needless to say (smow) has all four areas covered.

Vitra provide a range of elegant public seating solutions from Eames plastic chairs, over designs from Maarten van Severen and on to the dedicated “Airline” range by Sir Norman Foster.

While for all desks and shop solutions – be it check in desks, security or display cabinets – the majestically flexible system USM Haller meets every challenge; and can also be integrated with baggage conveyor belts

And for baggage handling… there’s always the M 4 R from Tecta

More information on USM Haller airport solutions from (smow) can be found at http://airport.smow.com/ and you can read our reports from the 2010 Passenger Terminal EXPO here in the (smow)blog.

Passenger Terminal EXPO 201 with smow and USM Haller

System USM Haller forms an important part of the airport design at Leipzig Halle airport

Despite the many disadvantages, problems and general chaos budget airlines have brought into our previously well structured and ordered lives, they have brought one clear advantage: The opportunity to visit really remote airports.

More through necessity than freewill, thousands of air travellers now find themselves avoiding the likes of Heathrow, Charles de Gaulle or Frankfurt am Main Airport, and instead experiencing the delights of Klagenfurt, Tampere or Altenburg.

At least in all modern airports the quality of the airline design and for all the airport furniture is guaranteed.

At Leipzig Altenburg, for example, those passengers wanting a last cigarette before boarding their flight can enjoy it in the comfort of an original Herman Miller fibre glass Eames Armchair. Or while reporting your luggage as having been left in Milan is never an enjoyable experience; at Leipzig Halle Airport you can at least admire the aesthetic and practical beauty of the System USM Haller elements while you wait. And then again at the hire car desks; where the USM Haller elements are cleverly colour matched to the corporate design of the car hire companies.

Hall D at Toulouse Airport

One of the real winners in the era of budget airlines however has been Toulouse Blagnac Airport. Construction of the airport started in 1939; while on the one hand not the best year to start a major construction project in Europe, it did at least provide the occupying Germans with a base for the production of V1 and V2 rockets as well as a dive-bombing school.

Following the liberation of France civil operations began again at Toulouse Blagnac. In 1953 27,000 passengers passed through the airport. By 1990 this had risen to 3 million passengers a number which then exploded to 5 million in 1999 and six million passengers a year in 2007.

A fact no doubt helped by the fact that the airport is much beloved by budget airlines.

This growth in passengers has of course necessitated a need for ever new buildings, and Toulouse Blagnac Airport is currently in the middle of a large expansion programme. An important cornerstone of this expansion is the new Hall D, a facility which will allow the airport to process some 8,5 million passengers a year.

Airline airport seating by Sir Norman Foster for Vitra in Toulouse Blagnac airport

A, dare we say, typical and somewhat passe all glass facade means that passengers at Toulouse Blagnac Airport could have the feeling of being at any airport in Europe; could – were it not for the wonderful utilisation of Sir Norman Fosters Airline seating system from Vitra.

Created in 1998, the Airline system is used in many airports throughout Europe, but always in black.

In Toulouse however the architects have opted for a range of colours; the resulting 1970s bus station effect is both more playful and relaxing than the norm.

In addition the Foster Airline seating has been wonderfully complemented with a range of .04s by Maarten van Severen on traverses, again from Vitra.

For those of you wanting to wanting to experience the Toulouse Blagnac Airport design yourselves; fights to Toulouse can be found starting form all minor European airports. And Heathrow, Charles de Gaulle or Frankfurt am Main.

And for those of you looking for Vitra, USM Haller or indeed any designer furniture for your airport, hospital, hotel or bus station the (smow) contracts team can offer professional and competent advice.

Airline seating as part of airport design

Only the best for smow - Aircraft from the former DDR Airline

Firstly apologies for the small delay… the internet connections in Milan aren’t all they could be :)

Sir Norman Foster's "Airline" system for Vitra as public seating at Munich Airport

A couple of months ago we mentioned the Terminal trade fair and introduced Vitra’s range of public seating solutions. And so it was with a particular joy to experience the chairs in action this morning at both Munich and Leipzig airports.
Wheres in Munich we just saw Sir Norman Foster’s “Airline” system, in Leipzig we saw both the “Airline” and .03 from Maartin Van Severen.
Both airports have been using the system longer than we have been writing this blog – and in both the inevitable consequences of the millions of travellers was all to evident.
That said, in both airports the chairs not only looked good, but were fulfilling their function with aplomb.

System USM Haller in use at Leipzig Airport

A double joy awaited us in Leipzig, however, as we headed towards departures…namely a system USM Haller construction in use as a welcome desk. Smow have designed several such desk systems as, for example, receptions in lawyers and doctors offices. Aside from the flexibility of the system, the particular advantage of the USM Haller system is that it is possible to leave the back “open” and so custom create storage space.
Sadly for “operational reasons” we were not allowed to photograph the desk from behind, and so you will have to take our word for it that it looked good.

Milan Malpensa Airport - A dream in granite and tiling

And then came Milan airport. They may favour a different type of seating here, and although a tick less impressive than Banesa Airport in Bucharest – a location that in itself is worth the trip – the graceful “neo-romantic-Bauhaus” form and functionality of Malpensa airport has really put us in the mood for the coming week.