Day 4: MAD T4 - Madrid-Barajas International Airport, Madrid, Spain
Yesterday, my supervisor Terri suggested that I create a series of postcards to give out to passengers (the ones I survey/interview) as a means of advertising my blog and also for them to follow up on their contribution. Here’s what I’ve come up with so far in terms of a theme/style. The idea is to use photographs that capture what specifically makes each airport unique or iconic. This one, as you can see, is of the bamboo roof and colourful HSS columns used at Madrid-Barajas airport. The images are somewhat large file sizes so you’ll have to wait a bit for them to load if you want to view them at high-res.
At Madrid-Barajas airport, instead of delving into the usual palette of ceiling finishes, Richard Rogers opted to use bamboo as a cladding material for the wavy roof’s interior. On a purely aesthetic level, it introduces an element of nature into the passenger experience much more so than, say, a concrete-clad or exposed structural steel roof would. Formally, the unusual aesthetic of the roof, in addition to the multi-coloured structural trees which support it, also creates a sense of rhythm throughout the terminal and its satellite. It’s shape, cladding, and colour constitute a secondary organizational system that aids in the wayfinding process, as well contributes to a pleasant experience overall.
