Terminal A – Newark, New Jersey
Recently Terminal A in Newark, NJ, was named the best new terminal in the world. Almost immediately upon arriving it was apparent why. Great thought went into designing an environment worthy of the travel experience. From the way finding, to seating, to public art, and retail mix with many local businesses – comfort of travelers was front of mind.
It started before checkin. A horizontal display rotated. I first saw New Jersey artists and then a True New Jerseyans display. Harriet Tubman was alongside Steve Forbes and many others. This mini education about New Jersey continued throughout the terminal. Calming music was pumped in accompanying the visuals.
Security check was a fast and relatively painless process. Ample seating immediately after the check made it possible to get recomposed and put back together before exploring more.
An atrium on the other side of security check welcomed people in. A quick escalator ride down made the main floor accessible. Media pylons, some with animation, featured different themes. Film and the ocean were two I saw displayed. This visually anchored the space and created a sense of awe and entertainment upon arrival.
Placemaking tactics were evident. Common spaces with movable furniture could easily have been transplanted from a vibrant urban district in New York. Here they served a double function – providing immediate support for diners of restaurants clustered nearby, while also welcoming the traveling public to sit down and rest.
Workstations with fixed seating were given a touch of whimsy with magenta lights reflecting off of sculpted petals. This created yet another “moment” with aesthetics and function harmoniously combined.
Wayfinding made evident the many different retail and dining offerings. Many were clustered in the junction between the three arms of the terminal, and others spaced out along the length of the arms.
The food businesses were promoted as a subset. Of note were a mix of a few local and regional offerings along with the well known national chains.
Wayfinding in the terminal was clear with signboards having flight info. When not displaying flight destination information, the screens displayed NJ trivia questions.
Much like the wayfinding, the retail shops also had a clear hierarchy of messaging. I first noticed this at Word Bookstores with the logo and an inscription from a NJ author at waist level and then the curved bookshelf as a backdrop making what this shop sells apparent.
The large digital display boards were ceiling mounted with a parabolic curve. This allowed a more immersive experience with the ads, some which were animated. The one with waves was particularly calming. Here I began to notice the public art in the terminal.
“Look Towards the Future” by Rorshach (2020) is a digital hand drawing that depicts portraits of women of color breaking through the prisms of culture. The artist intended for this to represent Newark’s step into the future.
Shoshanna Weinberger and her digital Measured Sunrise, Measured Sunset (2022) is a two panel diptych about measuring time between sunrise and sunset. The bars interspersed by graphics are metaphors for hybridity, incarceration, fences, animals, borders, flags and barcodes.
The Choose New Jersey ad places the new terminal clearly with the economic development strategy and messaging promoting New Jersey as an attractive place for investment. Choose New Jersey is a statewide organization responsible for attracting international investment. The “Where families and nature put down roots” tagline and images evoke the ocean and mountains that define the state. This further reflects how place quality is an important part of the State economic development strategy.
New Jersey Monthly is a periodical reaching approx 50000 households. Here they are a store. The publication is not prominently displayed except in the store name.
“Gaia’s Flight” is the largest though also least well positioned artwork, obstructed by retail space below. A collaboration of Gera and Werc out of Brooklyn, it honors the sea and air, along with celebrating the experience of flight.
Shop Local positioning, while welcome, also exposed how smaller spaces and smaller businesses seemingly have struggled to make the economics of airport terminal sales work. While some businesses listed were noticeable brands regionally and statewide, several of these smaller businesses were closed when we visited early Sunday morning before 8am. Surely getting and keeping staff, developing a marketable identity, and achieving sales is a challenge for these local non chain businesses.
One business that I wanted to realize this potential was the W.B. Law Coffee Co. They shared their brand story with a timeline in the cafe seating area space. Started in 1909 as a delivery service for roasted coffee beans, they culminated with this location in the new terminal. Regrettably the breakfast items were limited with everything unavailable except for egg white wraps. A pet peeve was also they would not fill my reusable coffee mug but fairly this was not a decision unique to this store. Others also turned me down. This is an aspect of sustainability that needs to be improved as the amount of waste generated by airports has to be immense and expensive to dispose of. Single use cups are an unnecessary luxury and easily replaced with advance planning. I’d expect this option in a LEED Gold building.
Some smaller locally owned businesses were noticably closed. These spaces were in the least desirable area and difficult to find. They did not have the same wide open retail space for product display and merchandising. The size of shoeboxes in comparison to larger spaces, it was understandable why these smaller stores were not staffed up and open. It would be wise to sweeten lease terms to make these smaller spaces more viable, as well as to look into shared staffing and cooperative marketing options.
One bright spot was Beecher’s. This cheesemaker is famed for their New York and Seattle locations and handmade cheeses. Here at the airport they provided something different than other airport businesses. A croissant and small block of their Dulcet cheese made for a perfect breakfast bite and left plenty of extra to snack on later. I also grabbed a sandwich for my lunch. They had a three cheese sampler tray and also cheese sticks giving options for every price point. How natural for a business in different cities to have an airport location like this, as their supply lines pass through airports. Salt Lick in Austin has a similar presence.
Zaro’s is in a similar category of a successful local business. This bakery had relatively brisk trade and benefited from a corner location.
The diametric opposite of the small locally owned businesses is Guy Fieris Flavortown Kitchen + Bar. From the area it occupied to it’s over the top signage, Flavortown positions itself as a Marketplace and benefits from the star power and name recognition of its namesake. Having eaten at at least one other Fieri location, the food has the same flair, personality, and flavor as its founder. At 7am on a Sunday morning I was amazed to see a sizable crowd for what seems to be more of a midday and evening business. The placemaking potential is cranked up a notch with shipping containers, retro signs, garden lighting and a beer garden vibe. It’s a place that feels like an escape from being in an airport while still being in an airport. This is a remarkable and likely very costly accomplishment.
Going back to where we started at Books, Dirty Soles is a store within a store. Started at 2017 this is a black owned business that has earned precious shelf space. I appreciated reading the description of the business and seeing their namesake shoe, albeit behind plexiglass. This perhaps provides a model of how local businesses can achieve similar success as a store within store concept, as opposed to committing to their own lease, staffing, and marketing for an individual brick and mortar space.
Which brings us to Just Jersey. This store features multiple businesses with Jersey ties. While the stories of these individual businesses is not highlighted in signs, panels, or cutouts as I’ve seen in similar stores, Just Jersey provides a beachhead in the airport for smaller businesses to get exposure.
As someone who has dedicated my professional life to promoting a positive business environment and placemaking activities that enrich the human environment, these twin passions of mine met their fulfillment in Terminal A. This place having borrowed so liberally from successful commercial districts, now hopefully will inspire creating places where the needs of people are put first, aesthetics and function combine, and where delight can return to the travel experience again.
Postscript
After visiting Terminal A, it’s probable that few other airport terminals will live up to the new standard for air travel. In Atlanta during the stay over the low ceilings, functional yet not beautiful wayfinding, and self contained spaces off the terminal – these contrasted greatly with the positive human environment created in Terminal A. Newark is a place to go to, while Atlanta is a place to go through. The two could not be more different.