THESIS DEVELOPMENT:
Nearing a Thesis Statement

Airport: a structured assembly of two elements: air -- the sky, beyond the horizon; and port -- the gateway, the access, the threshold to such space.

An airport is the symbiotic combination of both elements, the fusion of which allows entry into the sky. Although the airport is often seen as a future space, one of the most significant typologies of our era, its contemporary model has evolved minimally since the onset of modern commercial aviation. The limitations of the etymological footing of the airport have been physically reinforced through the design and construction of new airports. The predetermination of programming and siting of airports has become further entrenched over time; indeed, design manuals for airports have changed little over the past forty years, save for numeric adjustments to accommodate newer passenger jets.

Nevertheless, the generation of the airport as an anti-urban, ultra-commercialized space is sufficient justification to question the existing structure: the airport consisting of two juxtaposed elements, being the terminal and the airfield. With this in mind, three principal questions are proposed, with the ultimate objective of establishing the relationship between the city and the airport.

Firstly, what programmatic elements are directly connected to the aircraft by necessity? Traditionally, all components of the airport are closely connected to the aircraft by convention of proximity. However, it must be considered which elements are intrinsically linked to the aircraft -- within its given set of design requirements and parameters -- as opposed to those elements that may be removed from the immediate physical environs of the aircraft. Further, do some of these components relate more to the city than to the airport?

Secondly, the security of airport operations is a significant factor in determining the programmatic layout of an airport. Traditionally, a security perimeter has segregated the components of the programme into airside (passenger only, secure) elements, distinct from landside (publicly accessible, non-secure) elements. The study of such a threshold is important, questioning its inherent linearity, whether in plan or in section. Additionally, the investigation of the perimeter also raises the issue of the connection between the airside space and the aircraft, whereas the secure airside programme may extend into the city.

Finally, a re-evaluation of the actual programmatic requirements of an airport is needed. There are certain facilities and services that are, by their very nature, required for the successful operation of an airport. However, there are numerous amenities that are not essential; thus, their role in the new design paradigm for airports must be analyzed.

Such an evaluation of the three preceding questions reveals the root functions of the airport typology, sharply contrasting with the commonly accepted organization of current airports. It is the airport's inherent comprehensiveness, its unity of two quasi-independent components, which draws the typology away from the city. Consequently, the airport's disconnect from the city generates an anti-urban approach to its design and siting. Before all else, this mindset must be rethought.

Beyond the physical requirements of a site -- adequate space, environmental control, noise separation, proper runway orientation and so on -- the experiential value of an airport, its site and its design must be considered. In particular, seven criteria have been established for evaluating potential sites for a rethought airport. The factors evaluated are: the site's proximity to the urban core, the experience of arriving, the existing infrastructure connecting the site, the availability of land for expansion, physical site requirements, the location's distance from residential areas, and the environmental consequences of new construction (the impact due to existing facilities is not considered). Seven sites in the Montréal area are proposed and analyzed according to these criteria.

All being said, the investigation into the airport typology is an ongoing process. Research into contemporary models, as well as into emerging trends in programme and design, continues with a with an experiential review of some of the most recently completed major airports in the world, particularly in the East and Southeast Asian regions. Visits to international airports in Bangkok, Fukuoka, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, Nagoya, Osaka, Seoul, Singapore, Taipei and Tokyo shall be completed in the next few weeks, thanks to the Dr. Soo Kim Lan Prize, awarded by the McGill University School of Architecture.

Such a review of precedents will complete the foundation for a proposal for the design of the truly contemporary airport, whereas the reconfiguration of programme shall permit the urbanization of a traditionally anti-urban space.