Taking certain things for granted can be very dangerous as it is all to easy to forget what we really hold dear. It wasn’t until my third airport of the day that I finally noticed that these aviation parking lots are devoid of vegetation or natural life save for scrub growth around the runways or fringes of the complex. Inside, as you walk from one concourse to another, regardless of location, you would be hard pressed to find anything alive that contains chlorophyll. From airports we fly around the world to discover its beauty yet inside these institutions, the designers have done everything in their power to divorce us from it. Perhaps with a different approach these sterile structures could be transformed into more earthy and accommodating ones.
And fortunately the bones to support this change exist in ample quantities.
Most airport concourses are similar in design. They are usually configured as a single-level structure with floor-to-ceiling windows that grace opposing sides of a hallway and chaired waiting areas. A few have translucent ceilings letting in a bit of natural light though most are just squat tubes covered with dull paint or tiles. So what we have is a structure that has lots of heat and light year round. Perfect for plants.
This architecture is the basis for a new type of airport that would celebrate and embrace life in all of its forms rather than be a portal where life (at best) passes through and is diminished. It is not out of the realm of possibility as airports have been transforming themselves from simple hubs of travel to shopping centers, amusement parks, relaxation centers, convention centers, etc. A few plants here and there could help alter a generally agreed horrible experience to one that becomes more tolerable and human.
Wouldn’t it be cool to walk by the window looking out at planes and be able to touch 20 different mints, each with a different smell? Gate 42, the new scratch-and-sniff gate, could become the hot new destination. Gate 37 could be devoted to carnivorous plants such as Venus fly traps, sundews, and pitcher plants. It’s a “”Little Shop of Horrors” moment; save up bugs for the 3 PM feeding. And the windows for Gate 15 could have a series of fragrant jasmine that would evoke exotic, far-away places. You could be flying from Detroit to Fargo though perhaps for a moment you imagine you are on your way to Morocco. The possibilities are limitless.
And with the proper design and care, the plants would do well. Existing fluorescents could be reconfigured and directed to maximize growth and display at little cost and great comfort for people. The plants would grow gangbusters given all the carbon dioxide given off by heavily breathing travelers as they sprint toward a gate trailing computers, iPods, and over-packed, carry-on luggage. And people may also feel a bit better from the extra shot of clean oxygen that the plants will give off. Particularly if you are in a place like LAX.
It can’t get any worse. Just take a look at most people in airports. Do they look happy? Today they go through the vascular system of airports as unfeeling minerals clearly separated as if they were travelling along defined xylem and phloem paths. Not people, just something that is getting sucked up by the roots and then sent down from the leaves.
But there is hope. My final stop after nearly a day of travelling is Lihue Airport. I step off the plane and within a few steps am transformed. Customer service agents with lais for weary travelers. Open walkways. Flowers, trees and plants ready for the touch. I take a deep breadth of an intoxicating scent. I don’t know what it is but I love it.
It’s going to be difficult to get on the plane to go home.
