The Dulles Aerial Metro Station occupies a prominent position directly across the airport arrival infield from the iconic Dulles Airport Terminal Building, originally designed by Eero Saarinen and completed in 1962. The design solution seeks to balance the desire for a strong celebration of arrival with the dynamic presence of the terminal across the way, acknowledging the unique intersection of transportation modes that Dulles Metrorail Phase II represents. The new Metro arrival sequence will provide spectacular views of the Main Terminal building from an elevated position, through an inclined glazed screen designed to frame the primary views of the terminal. The new building will assume a central role in celebrating arrival and departure from the airport, and in heightening the awareness of the enduring presence of one of Saarinen’s masterpieces.
Architecture is not just to fulfill man’s need for shelter, but also to fulfill man’s belief in the nobility of his existence on earth.
