Eero Saarinen was a Finnish-American architect known for his organic and futuristic designs in the mid-20th century. Some of his most notable works included the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, the TWA Terminal at JFK Airport in New York, and the MIT Chapel in Cambridge, Massachusetts. For these projects, Saarinen employed bold sculptural forms and sweeping curves to create structures like the catenary arch and wing-like concrete shells that captured the spirit of their functions and places. He is also renowned for furniture designs like the Womb Chair that pioneered the use of molded plastic and wood.

2. • Eero Saarinen (1910-1961), Finnish-American architect and designer, one
of the leading architects of the mid-20th century.
• Saarinen was born August 20, 1910, in Kirkkonummi, Finland, son of the
renowned architect Eliel Saarinen.
• His family immigrated in 1923 to the United States, where he graduated
from the Yale School of Architecture in 1934 and subsequently went into
partnership with his father.
• Starting in 1940, in collaboration with Charles Eames, he designed
furniture, often imitated, that was outstanding for its elegant use of
moulded plastic and plywood.
• He produced a highly eclectic body of work that built upon influences
ranging from the rectilinear glass-and-steel structures of the
International Style to the free-form concrete buildings pioneered by Pier
Luigi Nervi, Le Corbusier, and earlier 20th-century architects.
INTRODUCTION

3. • Saarinen's principal architectural work was done after World War II.
• Noted for his neo-futuristic style, he was industrial designer also.
• His university buildings, corporate headquarters, airport terminals, and
embassies are alike only in their bold design and large scale.
• His first major commission, the General Motors Technical Center (1948-
1957), Warren, Michigan, a large complex of five long, low, rectangular
buildings and contrasting domes and cylinders, went beyond the obvious
influence of Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Albert Kahn to include
distinct decorative elements such as multi-coloured glazed bricks and
fanciful staircases.
• At the same time, in a completely different mode, he designed (1948) the
prizewinning Jefferson National Expansion Memorial (Gateway Arch;
1965) in St. Louis, a monumental stainless-steel arch 192 m (630 ft) high,
in the form of a great catenary (elliptical) curve.

4. • At his best in designing large unconfined spaces, Saarinen produced in
the 1950s several spectacular domed structures—including the
triangular-roofed Kresge Auditorium (1955, Massachusetts Institute of
Technology) and the parabolic Ingalls Hockey Rink (1959, Yale
University)—culminating in the swooping wing like lines of the TWA
Terminal (1956-1962, Kennedy International Airport, New York).
• His design for the Dulles International Airport (1958-1962) introduced, in
addition to a concrete slab roof suspended on cables, the innovative
concept of a vehicular lounge.
• Saarinen preferred to design institutional buildings;
• His only skyscraper, the austere CBS Building (1960-1964), was New
York's first reinforced concrete tower.
• He died in Ann Arbor, Michigan, September 1, 1961.
• The Gold Medal of the American Institute of Architects, awarded
posthumously in 1962, was accepted by his widow, the art critic and
commentator Aline B. Saarinen.

5. DESIGN PHILOSOPHY
• He was taught that each object should be designed in its "next
largest context - a chair in a room, a room in a house, a house
in an environment, environment in a city plan.“
• Saarinen developed a remarkable range which depended on
colour, form and material.
• ACCORDING TO EERO SAARINEN: “ The purpose of architecture
is to shelter and enhance man’s life on earth and to fulfill his
belief in the nobility of his existence.”
• He was famous for his varying style according to demand of the
project simple, sweeping, arching structural curves.

6. INITIAL WORKS
• When his father died in 1950, Eero Saarinen took over his
practice, running it as Saarinen & Associates .
• In late 1930s ,Experimenting with Charles Eames, Eero Saarinen
codeveloped new furniture forms and the first designs for
furniture of molded laminated wood.
• In 1941 Saarinen won two prizes in the New York Museum of
Modern Art competition for functional furniture design for
pieces on which he and Charles Eames had collaborated.
• Saarinen continued to design innovative chairs.
• After winning the functional furniture design contest he began
• working on "organic" chair designs, resulting in the "womb"
chair, which eased the sitter into a fetal position and was
considered by many to be the most comfortable chair ever
made.

8. GATEWAY ARCH

9. GATEWAY ARCH
• Designated a National Historic Landmark in 1987
• The Gateway Arch marked the beginning of his career.
• Location: St. Louis, Missouri, USA
• Site: St. Louis' founding on the west bank of the Mississippi River
• Height: 630 feett (192 m)
• Depth of Foundation: 60 feet
• Year of design: 1947
• Date of beginning of construction: February 12,1963
• Date of completion: October 28, 1965
• Total budget: $13 million (equivalent to $190 million in 2015)
• Date of opening to public: June 10, 1967

10. GATEWAY ARCH- DESIGN PHILOSOPHY
• Saarinen took first prize in the 1948 competition for the design of the
Jefferson National Expansion Memorial, St. Louis.
• For him, "The major concern ...was to create a monument which
would have lasting significance and would be a landmark of our
time... Neither an obelisk nor a rectangular box nor a dome seemed
right on this site or for this purpose. But here, at the edge of the
Mississippi River, a great arch did seem right."
• His opinion was that, "...all parts of an architectural composition
must be parts of the same form-world.“
• The Arch was to rise majestically from a small forest set on the edge
of the great river.
• Saarinen considered it to be perfect in its form and its symbolism.

11. GATEWAY ARCH- STRUCTURE
• The structure has two main
components:
1. The catenary arch
• The catenary, an ideal form that exists
largely in compression, was the
starting point for Saarinen’s design.
• It is built in the form of an inverted,
weighted catenary arch.
• The mathematical catenary was then
distorted in order to increase aesthetic
impact of the design while still
maintaining its structural
performance..
• The gateway arch preserved the
tradition of mathematical rigor and
formal simplicity

12. GATEWAY ARCH- STRUCTURE
2. The triangular sections
• Sweeping a triangular section of
variable size along this curve was
the basis for its form.
• The arch is comprised of steel-
clad concrete triangular sections
that vary from.
• It varies in thickness from 54ft
(bottom), to 17ft (top).
• The steel plates are assembled
very tightly against each other in
order to increase its structural
stability.

14. GATEWAY ARCH- ELEVATORS
• A complex system of
elevator cars that climb
diagonally to the top of the
curved arch carry 12
people at a time to the
top.
• Visitors can view the
surrounding landscape
from 630 feet above the
ground.
• These elevator cars were
designed as futuristic pods
that were inspired by the
similar aesthetics of the
time.

15. GATEWAY ARCH- AESTHETICS
• It preserves the formal
simplicity of American
monuments.
• It instils a notion of
contemporaneity in the
material and
programmatic complexity
of the project.
• The tightly assembled
steel plates make it look
even more slender than it
is.

16. GATEWAY ARCH- OTHER FACTS
• It is the world's tallest arch.
• The tallest man-made
monument in the Western
Hemisphere.
• It is Missouri's tallest accessible
building.
• It was built as a monument to
the westward expansion of the
United States.
• It is the centrepiece of the
Jefferson National Expansion
Memorial.
• It has become an internationally
famous symbol of St. Louis.

17. M.I.T CHAPEL

18. M.I.T CHAPEL - INTRODUCTION
• Location: Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
• Height: 30 feet (9.1m)
• Diameter: 50 feet (15 m)
• Year of design: 1950
• Year of completion: 1955

19. M.I.T CHAPEL -
STRUCTURE
• The MIT Chapel is a simple
cylindrical volume.
• From the outside, the chapel is a
simple, windowless brick cylinder
set inside a very shallow concrete
moat.
• It is topped by an aluminium
spire.
• The brick is supported by a series
of low arches.

20. M.I.T CHAPEL - STRUCTURE

21. M.I.T CHAPEL -
EXTERIORS
• From a distance, Saarinen’s
chapel appears as a brick
building that contextually
aligns with the dormitories
and the older buildings on
campus.
• The MIT Chapel is a simple
cylindrical volume that has a
complex and mystical quality
within.
• The chapel’s cylindrical form
breaks the rigidity of the
campus’s orthogonal grid.
• Tucked away in a small
forested area on campus, the
windowless chapel sits as a
simple object in the Kresge
Oval.

22. M.I.T CHAPEL - EXTERIORS
• Upon approaching the chapel, one
encounters a shallow concrete moat
that surrounds the chapel that seeps
into the interior around a series of
low arches that provide the structure
for the chapel.
• Saarinen chose bricks that were
rough and imperfect to create a
textured effect.
• The whole is set in two groves of
birch trees, with a long wall to the
east.
• The wall and trees provide a uniform
background for the chapel, and
isolate the site from the noise and
bustle of adjacent building

23. M.I.T CHAPEL - INTERIORS
• Saarinen’s simple design is overshadowed by the interior form
and light that were meant to awaken spirituality in the visitor.
• Due to the windowless façade, the interior of the chapel is
completely masked by the exterior of the volume.
• The interior is inundated with a high level of detail and
atmospheric qualities that are enhanced by filtered natural light
• Once inside, the visitor is transported to a completely
unexpected interior space that is unknown from the exterior
façade.
• Unlike the smooth uninterrupted façade, the interior brick walls
undulate around the circumference of the chapel, which creates
a new spatial dynamic that is illuminated by the moat that slips
into the interior from outside.

24. M.I.T CHAPEL -
INTERIORS

25. M.I.T CHAPEL - INTERIORS
• Above the white marble altar, there is a metal sculpture by Harry
Bertoia that hangs from the circular skylight that shimmers in the
sunlight reflecting and distributing light into the interior of the
chapel.
• The sculpture appears as a cascading waterfall of light that is
constantly adjusting, moving, and redefining the interior of the
chapel.
• Natural light filters upward from shallow slits in the walls
catching rippling reflected light from the moat.
• This dim ambient light is complemented by artificial lighting.
• The chapel's curving spire and bell tower was designed by the
sculptor Theodore Roszak and was added in 1956.
• The chapel has an excellent organ that was custom-designed for
the space by Walter Holtkamp of the Holtkamp Organ Company.

26. M.I.T CHAPEL - EXTERIORS
• The dynamic interior essentially
transforms into a light box that
absorbs and filters the light from
the small moat and the skylight.
• Light transforms the simple chapel
into a chapel of light that is
consistently undergoing changing
atmospheric and dematerializing
effects.
• Saarinen’s meticulous attention to
detail regarding light transforms
the spiritual space into a religious
architectural experience.

27. TWA TERMINAL

28. TWA TERMINAL
• Location: New York City,
New York, USA
• Year of design: 1956
• Year of completion: 1962
• Became an official
landmark: 1994, voted
on by the Landmarks
Preservation Commission
• Shut down in the year:
2001

29. TWA TERMINAL
• The client wanted this building to
capture the "spirit of flight“.
• In order to capture the concept of
flight, Saarinen used curves to
create spaces that flowed into one
another.
• The exterior's concrete roof imitates
a bird in flight with two massive
"wings.”
• The interior consists of a continuous
ribbon of elements, all whisking
themselves in from the exterior, so
that ceilings continuously run into
walls and those walls become floors.

30. TWA TERMINAL
• The swooping concrete curves that
embraced flyers into the jet age.
• "All the curves, all the spaces and
elements right down to the shape
of the signs, display boards, railings
and check-in desks were to be of a
matching nature. We wanted
passengers passing through the
building to experience a fully-
designed environment, in which
each part arises from another and
everything belongs to the same
formal world," stated Eero Saarinen
during construction in 1959.

32. TWA TERMINAL -STRUCTURE
• The structure consists of a shell of reinforced concrete with four
segments that extend outward from a central point.
• The concrete "wings" then unfold on either side of the exterior,
preparing for flight.
• Within the concrete, the structure is reinforced with a web of steel.
• The large panels of glass beneath the concrete are also supported
with steel, and have a contemporary purple-tint.
• These glass walls are tilted towards the exterior at an angle as they
reach
• the ceiling, as if intended for viewers to imagine looking out from a
plane to the earth below.
• These windows also highlight the purpose of the structure, providing
views of departing and arriving jets.

35. TWA TERMINAL -TRIVIA
• Seven years after its completion, a new departure-arrival concourse
and lounge were added to the terminal.
• The terminal was shut down in 2001 due to financial deterioration.
• The original structure has not yet undergone the necessary
renovations due to aging of the structure and is still closed to the
public.
• Other proposals include an addition of an aviation museum or a
restaurant.
• Terminal represents a moment of inventive interaction between
engineering and architecture.

36. NORTH CHRISTIAN CHURCH

37. NORTH CHRISTIAN CHURCH
• THIS WAS THE LAST BUILDING DESIGNED BY SAARINEN BEFORE HIS
DEATH .
• SAARINEN’S FATHER HAD DESIGNED THE FIRST CHRISTIAN CHURCH
IN COLUMBUS.
• LOCATION : COLUMBUS ,
INDIANA
• DATE : 1959 TO 1963
• BUILDING TYPE : CHURCH
• CLIMATE : TEMPERATE
• CONTEXT : SUBURBAN
• STYLE : MODERN

38. NORTH CHRISTIAN CHURCH
• The building is hexagonal in shape , with
central spire which is 192 feet (59m) high .
• Below the spire there is oculus that
admits light into main level .
• The sanctuary is located at the centre of
the building , with a altar located at the
centre of the sanctuary .
• Rows of pews surround the altar in the
circular pattern , reflecting the idea that
worship should be” central” aspect of the
life of congregation .
• The communion table should be the focal
point. We can have the congregation
sitting around the communion table
where everyone feels equal and joined
together in unity and harmony.

39. NORTH CHRISTIAN CHURCH
• Church is elevated to have all the secondary activities like
auditorium, Sunday school, gymnasiums etc. underground , hidden
away and put only the sanctuary above ground and make it the
significant visual and architecture thing
• Other reason is , the site is flat in a residential district the church
must be elevated so that it stand s proudly above the parked cars and
surrounding houses.
• His design philosophy - “In the North Christian Church, my thinking
has always been to make the organ pipes an important element in
the sanctuary design.”

42. THE WOMB CHAIR
• A chair in which one could curl up in.
• The Womb Chair is an enveloping,
lap-like form continues to be one of
the most iconic and recognized
representations of mid-century
Scandinavian organic modernism.
• With its steel rod base with a
polished chrome finish and a frame
upholstered in fabric over a
fiberglass shell, the chair is designed
to facilitate a relaxed sitting posture,
providing emotional comfort and a
sense of security—hence, the name
“Womb”.

43. THE WOMB CHAIR
• By applying foam molded over a fiberglass shell, Saarinen
was able to create a single-piece form that perfectly
facilitated a relaxed sitting posture and a sublime feeling
of security.
• Additional seat and back cushions and the coordinating
Womb Ottoman provide a further degree of lavish
comfort.
• The slender steel rod base is chrome-plated using a
multiple step process that results in a flawlessly polished
mirror finish.
• H 35.5" W 40" D 34" Seat H 16"

44. THE WOMB
CHAIR

45. THE TULIP CHAIR
• It was designed primarily as a chair to
match the complementary dining table.
• The chair is often considered "space
age" for its futuristic use of curves and
artificial materials.
• The base of the tulip chair is of cast
aluminium with a rilsan-coated finish to
match the upper shell, giving the
appearance of a single unit.
• The upper shell is molded fiberglass,
with a reinforced, plastic bonded finish.
• The upholstered foam cushion is
removable with Velcro fastening.

46. GRASSHOPPER CHAIR
• Materials: Laminated
wood frame with
upholstered cushions
• Dimensions: W 26
½”―,D 34",H 35 ¼”

47. Awards and Achievements
• 1940 With Charles Eames
wins two first prizes for
furniture design, Museum of
Modern Art.
• 1960 Elected Fellow,
American Academy of Arts
and Letters.
• 1962 Posthumously
awarded Gold Medal,
American Institute of
Architects.