Expanding an iconic structure
Washington Dulles International Airport was the first airport in the United States designed for commercial jet aircraft. With its iconic swooping roofline, Eero Saarinen’s original 1962 terminal building is considered to be one of the designer’s finest works. But as air travel evolved, the need for adaptation became clear. Since 1985, SOM has steered the airport’s evolution, starting with a master plan that included six midfield concourses, followed by a new international arrivals hall and the creation of multiple transportation networks.
In the 1990s, SOM led an expansion project that more than doubled the narrow structure’s length with a design that respects the midcentury building and integrates previous additions. In the new spaces, SOM replicated the distinctive catenary structure as well as the concrete finishes, windows, and terrazzo floors. Below grade, the expansion carved out space for new, automated baggage-handling facilities to expedite waiting periods.
Construction proceeded in phases to allow the facility to remain open during the project. When completed in 1997, the expansion nearly tripled the airport’s passenger handling capacity to 40 million a year. Within two years of the project’s completion, passenger totals increased by 65 percent.