Design proposals for Dulles overhaul include "Donald J. Trump Terminal"
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A new "Donald J. Trump Terminal" envisioned in front of the current Dulles main terminal. Rendering: Courtesy of Bermello Ajamil & Partners LLC, in partnership with Zaha Hadid Architects
A world-renowned architecture firm has answered President Trump's call to overhaul Dulles Airport — and proposed a new grand terminal named after him.
Why it matters: If realized, the plan would turn the current Eero Saarinen-designed main terminal largely into a temple of luxury retail.
Driving the news: In response to the Transportation Department's call for bids to reimagine Dulles "at the speed of Trump," the agency has received 21 submissions. The vibe — stated outright in some proposals — is very much Make Dulles Great Again.
Zoom in: The Donald J. Trump Terminal idea comes from Zaha Hadid Architects. The curvy building would overshadow the Saarinen terminal, replacing the surface parking lot and cutting down the walk from the Metro station to the airport entrance.
- The firm's options include stationing the new terminal farther away but still having it act as the main check-in and TSA processing area. All options repurpose the Saarinen terminal, both celebrating its civic history and, renderings show, going heavy on luxury shopping.
- Travelers would pass through a new Y-shaped pier, and expanded automated trains would replace the people movers.
- The British firm, founded by the late starchitect Zaha Hadid, has designed monumental projects like Beijing's giant starfish-shaped international airport.
- "Our vision is to restore the sense of dignity and grandeur to the process of entering the United States — and Make Airports Great Again," says the proposal by Bermello Ajamil & Partners, in partnership with Zaha Hadid.
People movers are intact — but upgraded — in a proposal from a firm called Eden Blue.
- With the endorsement of the Saarinen family, the firm would replace the "smelly, unreliable, jerky, uncomfortable and expensive" shuttles with nimble "Direct Jet Transport" vehicles — which, perhaps working in their favor, are known in airport parlance as DJT.
A splashy proposal by Spanish-company Ferrovial calls for a wavy new main terminal.
- Its upgrades to the departures and arrivals experience would be similar to those in the Zaha Hadid proposal, but Ferrovial also proposes a mixed-use "Airport City" development near Dulles.
Context: Dulles Airport is Trump's latest local project (see also: golf courses, White House ballroom, Lafayette Park).
- A Trump ally's quest to remove the controversial people movers seemed to spark the interest in revamping Dulles.
- A Transportation Department request in December for design proposals claimed the airport is in a "state of disrepair."
- Trump has praised the look of the existing terminal, designed by Saarinen. The proposals accordingly preserve the building.
State of play: Only a few of the 21 submissions received by the Transportation Department proposed big changes, and just Zaha Hadid and Ferrovial offered visual renderings of a new terminal.
- A proposal from Glydways would connect terminals via autonomous pods (Glydcars) in underground roadways.
What's next: The Transportation Department didn't comment on its plans.