Washington Dulles International Airport is set to undergo a major renovation, with an expansion plan that's set to cost some US$22 billion.
President Donald Trump has been excited about this for a while now; NBC noted he personally took a look at the facility last October to assess what could be improved.
The President said in a statement that the idea is to "add more than 5 million square feet of new or renovated space. We’ll replace the current C and D concourses, which are basic disasters, all the while preserving the iconic original terminal."
The original terminal was designed by Finnish-American architect Eero Saarinen in 1958, with a dramatic silhouette and a graceful elliptical form suggestive of flight.
You might know Saarinen's work from the US Embassy building in Mayfair, the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, and the Black Rock skyscraper in New York City.
So who's behind the design thinking for this makeover? Dezeen notes that the conceptual renderings you see here are credited to United Airlines – and not any particular architecture studio. These are said to have been selected by President Trump "after an extensive review of more than 30 proposals with the top architects anywhere in the world."
The Airports Authority and United Airlines will work together on this project, adding new spaces and facilities, while preserving the main terminal.
Apart from revamped concourses (the sections of terminal buildings where passengers board flights), the new and renovated five million sq ft will include an expanded main terminal, more gates, upgraded boarding areas and ticketing facilities, and quicker baggage handling systems.
US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the tram-like “people movers” that transport travelers through terminals will be replaced by a faster and more efficient "horseshoe rail system;" there will also be a new central walking tunnel between terminals.
There's also going to be be way more parking, in the form of a multi-story parking garage with 32,000 parking spaces. As President Trump put it: "It’ll be actually the largest garage in the world."
If everything goes according to plan, he might be right. The Guinness World Record for the largest car park is currently held by the West Edmonton Mall lot in Canada, which has room for 20,000 cars. This happens to be the world's largest shopping and entertainment center, and it has an adjoining space for 10,000 more vehicles.
The proof, of course, will be in the pudding – and there doesn't seem to be any consensus as to when that will be ready. The renovation could take anywhere from President Trump's estimate of two years to United Airlines' forecast of a decade... or maybe more.
Sources: PR Newswire, US DoT
