Contract - November 2012 - (Page 31)

A minimalist and transparent storefront leads to the lounge’s reception area. HyundaiCard Air Lounge A Gensler-designed VIP lounge and kiosk take off at Incheon International Airport By Sam Lubell Photography by Ryan Gobuty / Gensler Cut by chambers running through it and niches slicing into its Once upon a time air travel was a pleasure and a privilege. That time sides, the black mass contains, among other things, a concierge, travel has long since passed. Now going to the airport is about as stressful accessories, printed materials, food and refreshment stations, and a and uncomfortable as visiting the dentist. While brainstorming for the business center with computers. It even features video installations by design of the HyundaiCard Air Lounge at the Incheon International noted Japanese artist Hiraki Sawa and a robotic vending machine that Airport, near Seoul, South Korea, Gensler wanted to create the dispenses gifts for HyundaiCard holders. To help with the lack of antithesis of that experience: a relaxing, helpful place that would become a respite for travelers. But since the lounge was located in front natural light in this part of the airport, the firm installed virtual skylights above two of the chambers that are actually LED screens that cycle of baggage claim, the designers faced the challenge of providing through the spectrum of sky colors to match what’s going on outside. amenities and enlivening the experience to draw travelers who might otherwise keep moving. The result is a striking, futuristic, efficiently organized space that is a mix between a high-end boutique, a grown-up Thinking inside the black box The black volume’s design, says Paré, was inspired by unusual sources: play land, and a spa. the black HyundaiCard itself, whose elite members access the space; “It couldn’t be the typical air lounge, where it’s a sea of couches and not much going on besides eating and reading the paper,” explains the black box of an airplane; and even the monolithic computer HAL 9000 from 2001: A Space Odyssey. All this high-tech drama creates a Gensler Design Director and Senior Associate Philippe Paré. poetic quality for a space that could otherwise have been mundane. Beyond the slab and past sheer curtains blocking out the Planning a compact space within the larger context terminal traffic, a VIP lounge allows guests to perch inside spherical Ball Because the 2,700-square-foot space is so small, and cut off from Chairs that shield them from their surroundings. Fifteen colorful, natural light, Paré and his team from Gensler’s Los Angeles office bar-shaped LCD screens, loosely evocative of the old tickers inside focused not just on excitement and comfort but on flow, organization, train stations, display individual flight information and flash when flights and ways to make the space feel bigger. The organization, which Paré are getting close to departure. likens to that of a well-packed suitcase, is a simple, fluid layout A winner of a 2012 American Institute of Architects (AIA) Institute consisting of a reception in the front with the bulk of the program inside Honor Award for Interior Architecture, the project earned jury praise a long bar-shaped structure in the center, and VIP lounges in the back. such as, “The project takes an innovative approach to the airline lounge To visually augment the space, the firm installed highly reflective model, effectively establishing a unique relationship between the surface materials such as white gypsum board on walls, high-gloss passenger and the space. The well-conceived assimilation of painted metal on ceilings, and white terrazzo for the floors. Minimal technology engages the traveler in both the ‘black box’ and the design makes the space feel bigger and calmer—not to mention surrounding walls that integrate the helpful passenger flight status timeless—while recessed lighting coves above produce ethereal, soft flip-screens.” halos that enable guests to feel like they’re aboard a cruising ship as Don’t let this combination of simplicity, futurism, and fun fool you: opposed to a traveler about to be packed into a sardine can. The lounge’s dominating element is the large black rectangle that this is an unexpectedly powerful project that is the perfect antidote to the airport outside. c runs perpendicular to the simple welcome desk. The polished black granite box punches through the lounge’s metal ceiling, appearing to float in space and increasing its sense of dominance and mystery. contract

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Contract - November 2012

Contract - November 2012
Contents
Editorial
Industry News
Product Focus: Getting Crafty
Product Briefs: Seating and Carpet
HyundaiCard Air Lounge
Orla Kiely
Vintry Fine Wines
Louis Vuitton Selfridges
Diptych Leadenhall Market and Bleecker Street
Camper Granada
Practice: The Future in Technology and Experiential Interiors
Designers Select: Tables and Casegoods
Sources
Ad Index
Small Project: A Lighting Installation Emphasizes Decadence in a Brussels

Contract - November 2012