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In the decades following, more events, such as 9/11 shifted the way that KCI functioned and looked. Gradually, all of the changes made to the original airport in order to meet TSA and FAA requirements, the space became fairly confusing to navigate. The wayfinding system at the airport makes an attempt to guide travelers in the right direction, but often falls short. The signs are cluttered and do not match the space that they inhabit. There is a lot of wasted wall space in the airport that could be used to direct visitors or engage them with the space in some way. The signage also risks becoming outdated, and in some ways, it has with the COVID-19 pandemic. To avoid the need for a complete re-design and reproduction of the wayfinding system in airports, I believe digital signage could be a great advantage for KCI.
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The Kansas City International Airport is at a pivotal point in its history. In the Spring of 2023, its existing terminals will no longer be used as a new, single terminal will be unveiled. The original and current airport was opened in 1972 and was designed by architect Clarence Kivett with a strong sense of brutalism. Brutalist architecture was very popular in civic projects in the 60s and 70s and can be recognized by its large scale use of concrete, geometric angles, and “heavy” appearance. The airport was groundbreaking at the time that it opened, featuring the world’s first drive-to-your-gate model. Locals and travelers were enthused about Kansas City’s new airport, but this excitement was short lived. After the hijacking attempt in 1973, only blank months after the opening of the airport, security measures increased drastically. This introduced a great degree of inconvenience to traveling through KCI. Air travel as a whole shifted drastically after this event and many airports were forced to re-think their layout. KCI was eventually split in half vertically, with one side of the airport containing the gates and inaccesible to passengers who had not yet gone through security, and the other half containing stores, restaurants and public areas for awaiting airplane passengers or those picking up arriving travelers.
