Sunday 9 June 2019

washington international

Opening in 1962, the same year as Eero Saarinnen’s TWA Flight Center at JFK, the Washington Dulles terminal did not meet the same practical obsolescence as its contemporary thanks in large part to a foundational masterplan researched and put together by design duo Charles and Ray Eames (see also here, here and here) with the rest of the design team (Saarinnen included), which premised the national hub in the below1958 animated short as modular and expandable airport.
While not stinting on aesthetics, consideration and convenience for the traveller were primary concerns in taking the long term perspective and creating a transportation artery that would not only connect the terrestrial world but beyond as well. Transiting through US airports is mostly these days a traumatic through forgettable experience and while many of the other amenities might be lost for the average passenger, a ride on Washington-Dulles’ mobile, vaguely militaristic “Departure Lounges” that still to this day ferry travellers to and from their planes rather than navigating endless, labyrinthine corridors of jetways are indelibly memorable.  Learn more at Citylab at the link above.