Yesterday’s Guardian had a piece about David Rockwell’s interior design for the new JetBlue terminal at JFK, which will replace Eero Saarinen’s abandoned TWA hub as the airport’s fifth. In fact, the building, created by sustainable-design firm Gensler, will form a backdrop to Saarinen’s landmark, tracing a low-lying arc around its perimeter. The old Terminal 5 will serve as a gateway for passengers, and will potentially include a gallery or restaurant. But the real story is in the new concourse’s layout, which Rockwell, designer of Nobu/Next Door and the W at Union Square, is developing in conjunction with choreographer Jerry Mitchell (Hairspray, Hedwig and the Angry Inch). The pair have previously worked together on sets for Broadway, and have now teamed up to direct the footwork of a busy airport. While the image of TSA screeners in a Busby-Berkeley kickline is a tempting one, I think there’s a real genius in designing a space that is increasingly shaped by tortuous ticket- and security queues around how people move, instead of around a show-stopping architectural statement. What this translates to is a leisurely departures area, with wide staircases cribbed from the front of the Met for lounging and spectating, and a straight-to-the-point arrivals route that will “slingshot” passengers straight into the rush of New York. Too bad the show doesn’t go on until 2009.

Elsewhere:
“Passengers May Now Pirouette to Gate 3” (NYT)

In Other News:
“Ballet for Bellhops” (World Hum)