Dulles International Airport (1984-1997)
Eero Saarinen's design for Dulles International Airport became one of the world's most recognizable landmarks of modern architecture upon its completion in 1962. The SOM team, led by David Childs, tried to be faithful to that original design when it embarked on a series of improvements beginning in 1984. First, the team added an unobtrusive and structurally independent building for international arrivals on one side. Then, following Saarinen's original plans, they doubled the length of the iconic catenary main terminal (described by Saarinen as "a continuous hammock suspended between concrete trees") by extending it 300 feet on either end. Finally, they updated the master plan to allow for increased airline traffic and improved passenger safety.

© Nick Latoff. Reproduced with the permission of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill.