“The purpose of
architecture is to shelter and enhance man’s life on earth and to fulfil his
belief in the nobility of his existence” – Eero Saarinen -1959
Eero Saarinen born in 1910 was a designer in shaping the American post-war design movement. As a Finnish-American architect,
Eero Saarinen was very successful throughout his career, designing different
projects from large to small buildings – from the Gateway Arch in St.Louis and
the TWA Flight Center at New York’s JFK Airport to community churches and
individual homes.
In the late 1940s, Saarinen designed a number of curvy,
sculptural chairs for the company Knoll. Choosing his best two, Saarinen
designed the “Grasshopper” chair in 1946 which is made from bent plywood with
an upholstered seat. Two years later he designed the “Womb” chair which is
similar to his “Conversation” chair. The only thing that is different is that
the “Womb” chair is cosier and an ottoman was added to it.
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| Grasshopper Chair |
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| The Womb Chair |
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| Tulip Chair |
Some other architectural projects over the years, Eero
Saarinen designed the General Motors Technical Center in Michigan, TWA Terminal
at JFK Airport in New York and the Dulles International Airport in Washington.
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| Architectural detail of the interior of the Trans World Airlines Terminal, John F. Kennedy Airport, New York |
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| Architect Eero Saarinen stands behind a scale model of the Saint Louis Gateway Arch |
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| The newly-completed Saint Louis Gateway Arch |
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| Design Center interior with stairs in background, part of the General Motors Technical Center, Michigan, 1945 |
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| Water Tower detail, General Motors Technical Center, Michigan, 1945 |
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| Completed Kresge Auditorium and Chapel on the campus of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge |
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| Scale model of the David S. Ingalls Hockey Rink, Yale University, Connecticut |
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| A scale model of the Trans World Airlines Terminal, John F. Kennedy, New York |
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| Interior of the TWA Terminal |
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| Model of Washington Dulles International Airport |
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| Evening view of Washington Dulles International Airport |
Although, Saarinen’s career was really short, he will still remain the one who “Shaped the
Future”.
References:
- Design Within Reach, 2014. Eero Saarinen [online] available at: http://www.dwr.com/category/designers/r-t/eero-saarinen.do
- R&Company, N.D. Eero Saarinen [online] available at: http://www.r20thcentury.com/biography_detail.cfm?designer_id=98
- The Atlantic Monthly Group, 2014. The 20th Century Architecture of Eero Saarinen [image online] available at: http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2013/11/the-20th-century-architecture-of-eero-saarinen/100631/
- CA Design, 2012. Eero Saarinen [online] available at: http://www.cadesign.ie/inspired-by-designers/eero-saarinen/
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