Reagan National Airport in Washington, DC is set to welcome a new $374 million terminal in 2021.
The facility will have 14 gates and will replace the airport’s notorious Gate 35X, which required travellers to take a shuttle and two walks on the tarmac to access, the Washingtonian reports.
Like most modern airports, all of the gates in the new terminal will have passenger bridges for boarding aircraft. The terminal also will add new dining and retail options closer to gates, acres of windows to let in natural light and provide views of the runway, and a sleek design that hews closer to conventional than inspiring, according to critics.
The latter assessment is based on renderings – the terminal has not yet been built – leading the Washingtonian to call for a more imaginative facility that better reflects its setting in the US capital.
“Planes that land at Reagan pass right by DC’s landmarks on their descent – among the most striking views you can get from a window seat,” noted writer Andrew Pressman.
“As a result, the architecture of the nation’s capital becomes an integral part of air travel into and out of the city. A more inventive design might celebrate the famous structures nearby and have its own distinctive identity as a regional-transportation hub.”
