Requests for Information Responses (RFIs) by international architects and developers for a proposed revitalization of Washington Dulles International Airporthave landed. The submissions for the Washington, D.C.airport’s redesign follow a call from U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy to redesign the main hall and control tower, designed by Eero Saarinen.
Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA) and Bermello Ajamil & Partners, a New York office, were among the offices who submitted proposals to Make Dulles Great Again, as the initiative has been dubbed. AECOM, Grimshaw, Adjaye Associates, RCGA+DM Architects, and ZDS Architecture & Interiors have also answered the open call.
Two infrastructure groups Amtrak recently shortlistedto redesign Penn Station, Macquarie Capital and Fengate Capital, have also responded to the open call. Here are a few of the submissions.
Option A in the proposal by Zaha Hadid Architects would create a new terminal sandwiched between the Saarinen terminal and metro station. (Courtesy U.S. DOT)
Zaha Hadid Architects and Bermello Ajamil & Partners
The proposal to Make Airports Great Again by ZHA and Bermello Ajamil & Partners cozies up to the President’s ego, showing the building named Donald J. Trump Terminal. (Senator Bernie Sanders and other elected officials earlier this month proposed legislationthat would forbid sitting U.S. presidents from naming federal buildings after themselves, so this title may be out of the question.)
The deck ZHA and Bermello Ajamil & Partners submitted is also aesthetically similar to White House Executive Orders, namely the fonts and slide colors.
The Saarinen terminal would be repurposed as a shopping mall, as part of the joint proposal. ZHA and Bermello Ajamil & Partners presented three options for terminal relocation.
Option A entails a new headhouse immediately north of the Saarinen terminal. The Saarinen terminal would be visible from an elevated pedestrian walkway connected to the metro station, however other sight lines of the Saarinen terminal would be blocked.
Option B would deliver a new headhouse south of the Saarinen Terminal, and Option C would build a new midfield terminal.
The Zaha Hadid proposal would repurpose the Saarinen terminal as a shopping mall. (Courtesy U.S. DOT)
Patrik Schumacher of ZHA is simultaneously designing the Navi Mumbai International Airport for Narendra Modi’s far-right government in India. Schumacher presented ZHA’s design for the airport, as well as his own ideological predilections, last fall at Baylor University, as reported by AN.
The Adjaye Associates and RCGA+DM proposal
Adjaye Associates is partnering with RCGA+DM on its Dulles bid. This team did not submit renderings showing a proposal. Rather, Adjaye Associates touted past projects it designed in Washington, D.C. like Frances Gregory Library and the National Museum of African American History and Culture.
The design approach by Adjaye Associates and RCGA+DM would emphasize “clear and intuitive terminal organization, reinforcing logical passenger movement and reducing reliance on signage,” “flexible terminal and concourse planning,” and “architecture defined by openness, daylight, and structural clarity.”
The proposal by Grimshaw would relocate terminal functions from the Saarinen-designed hall to a new building closer to the metro station. (Courtesy U.S. DOT)
The Grimshaw proposal
Grimshaw has teamed upwith Ferrovial, a self-described global operator of sustainable infrastructure. Renderings by Grimshaw show tensegral columns supporting a curved roof.
The proposal by Grimshaw would deliver a new terminal hall adjacent to the Saarinen terminal. Like the ZHA proposal, this one by Grimshaw seeks to relocate the terminal north of the Saarinen terminal, creating shorter walks from the metro station. Grimshaw also proposed repurposing the Saarinen terminal as a “commercial and social destination.”
The new terminal would have a curved roof supported by tensegral columns. (Courtesy U.S. DOT)In the Grimshaw proposal the Saarinen terminal would be repurposed as a commercial center. (Courtesy U.S. DOT)
Grimshaw also proposed a “new airport city development” surrounding Dulles. Ferrovial likewise touted its renovations at both London’s Heathrow Airport, Barajas Airport in Madrid, and at JFK International Airport in New York, among other completed projects.
The AECOM proposal
AECOM did not share renderings in its RFI, however it did emphasize its commitment to “developing a new terminal on a greenfield or brownfield site and implementing Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority’s long‑term master plan for the airfield.”
Architecturally, AECOM envisions maintaining the Saarinen-designed terminal “for revenue‑generating uses” instead of performing terminal functions.
A construction timeline for the project wasn’t issued, however U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy did say he wants the massive infrastructure project to move “at the speed of Trump.”
Architect Shalom Baranes has presented an updated, “more-graceful” design of the proposed White House ballroom and suggested adding a storey to the West Wing for symmetry.
The East Wing proposal will reach approximately 51 feet high (15.54 metres), while the ballroom will feature 30 to 40-foot high ceilings (nine to 12 metres), according to Baranes.
“A modest one-story addition to the West Wing colonnade”
Barane’s said that in the interest of symmetry, a second storey may be added to the West Wing colonnade to match the increased height of a proposed East Wing colonnade.
“This scheme does require a two-story colonnade, connecting the East Room in the White House to the new ballroom,” said Baranes. “We believe it’s appropriate to evaluate this condition within the context of the broader White House campus.”
“The White House is therefore considering the idea of a modest one-storey addition to the West Wing colonnade, which would serve to restore a sense of symmetry around the original central pavilion.”
The drawings show the “two-storey” colonnade running into the East Wing building from the White House. The East Wing building itself is wrapped in a classical arcade on its second storey, which covers eight large, arched windows that look into the ballroom.
A facade of smaller, rectangular windows is pictured below along the building’s first level. This lower, 89,000 square-foot level will contain auxiliary spaces to serve the ballroom and a new office for the First Lady, who traditionally holds an office in the East Wing.
It will also reportedly hold a movie theatre.
Multiple grand stairs will lead to the building, while visitors will be able to enter the building directly under two porticos, one which extends far into the White House lawn.
“Rationalising” the White House
Foyers are located on either level at the end of the colonnade, while the remaining program spreads forward into the length of the building.
The architect also said that the previous layout of the East Wing was “labyrinthian in character” and that the new scheme will serve to “rationalise” the building.
“One could generously describe the current functioning of the White House support areas, such as loading, waste handling, general deliveries and food service as being quite labyrinthian in character,” said Baranes. “And I think that’s a kind description.”
“The proposed re-modernisation seeks to rationalise these functions in a manner that will relieve the stress by increasing connectivity, operational efficiency and by enhancing overall security. The changes will allow the White House to be experienced and to age, I think, in a much more graceful way over time.”
NCPC Commissioner William Scharf also stressed the importance of the East Wing ballroom as a new space to host visiting dignitaries, as the current White House puts forth “not a good look for the United States”.
“I think it’s notable that when the President of the United States of America flies to the United Kingdom, he’s hosted at Windsor Castle,” said Scharf.
“And when next year, the king of the United Kingdom, Great Britain and Northern Ireland, comes to the United States, more likely than not he will be hosted in a tent on the South Lawn with porta-potties. That, to me, is not a good look for the United States of America.”
“Disturbing”, said commissioner
“There is a real programmatic need for a building like this.”
The proposed East Wing building will sit in the same footprint as the McCrery Architects proposals, as the location and placement is ideal for access from the East Room, according to Baranes, who said he and McCrary Architects both studied the site “fairly extensively”.
He also said that while there’s “been excavation work” and “some foundation work”, the scheme “all depends on schedule and money” as it’s further refined.
DC Council Chairman Phil Mendelson pushed back on the building’s proposed size, calling it “disturbing” and “overwhelming”. Others expressed concerns over safety, clearance design and ADA accessibility, while a delegate for the Department of the Interior said it supports the plan with “no reservations”.
A “more detailed and fully developed submission” is set to be proposed at a February NCPC meeting.
SANAA’sTaichung Art Museum, part of the newly completed Taichung Green Museumbrary, opens today, December 13th, 2025 in Taiwan. The project integrates the city’s central library with a metropolitan art museum, establishing a combined cultural facility that presents a new institutional model.
The Taichung Green Museumbrary sits on the northern edge of Central Park, a 67-hectare green space within the 254-hectare Shuinan Trade and Economic Park, formerly a military airport decommissioned in 2004. Positioned at the heart of this redevelopment area, the project has been described as Taiwan’s most significant cultural initiative of 2025. SANAA’s design follows the guiding idea of creating ‘a library in a park and an art museum in a forest.’ The building is lifted above ground level, allowing natural light and park breezes to move freely through shaded plazas that provide open, permeable access from all sides.
Its inaugural exhibition, A Call of All Beings, brings together more than 70 artists and collectives from 20 countries. The show unfolds across galleries and public spaces through video, painting, sculpture, installation, archival material, artists’ books, and 24 newly commissioned, site-specific works, accompanied by performances, workshops, and talks exploring human and multispecies coexistence.
SANAA unveils the Taichung Art Museum as part of the Green Museumbrary | all images by YHLAA – Yi Hsien Lee
An Open Plan Connecting Culture and Nature
The plan dissolves traditional divisions between museum and library spaces within an open and inclusive interior. Reading areas and exhibition zones are designed to overlap, encouraging cross-programming and interaction. The library will house over one million physical and digital resources. On the rooftop, the design team at SANAA organizes an outdoor garden that offers views of Central Park and the Taichung skyline. Conceived as both a public landscape and a cultural extension of the building, the rooftop enhances the continuity between built and natural environments.
The dual-layer facade combines high-performance glass or metal cladding with an outer layer of aluminum expanded metal mesh. This silvery veil produces a sense of transparency while improving environmental performance. The facade and lifted volume emphasize lightness, openness, and integration with the surrounding park. At ground level, shaded plazas act as public thresholds where the city meets the museum and library.
the dual-layer facade combines glass or metal cladding with expanded aluminum mesh
the mesh screen improves environmental performance while shaping the building’s identity
the outdoor garden functions as both a public space and cultural extension
the cultural complex combines a metropolitan art museum with the city’s central library
the building volume is lifted above the ground to allow light and breeze to pass through
reading areas and exhibition zones are arranged to overlap and encourage interaction
the library is planned to hold over one million physical and digital resources
shaded plazas beneath the structure create open and permeable public access
the design concept is described as ‘a library in a park and an art museum in a forest’
With the death of Frank Gehry at 96, we are revisiting some of his most iconic buildings that reshaped cities, reoriented cultural institutions, and redefined what architecture could look and feel like. Across more than six decades, the legendary architect created works that fused sculptural ambition with technical innovation, pushing the boundaries of form, material, and emotion. Below, a closer look at a selection of the projects that most clearly express his influence.
Frank Gehry’s Bilbao museum remains his most transformative achievement, both architecturally and culturally. Clad in sweeping titanium panels and organized as a composition of fluid, interlocking forms, the museum demonstrated how digital modeling could translate sculptural complexity into buildable architecture. It’s more than an aesthetic icon. It jump-started the revival of a declining industrial city, drawing millions of visitors and sparking what became known worldwide as the ‘Bilbao effect.’ Few buildings have had such a measurable civic and economic impact, and its shimmering presence on the Nervión River continues to symbolize the power of architecture to change the fate of a city.
Nearly two decades in the making, Walt Disney Concert Hall stands as one of the most acoustically and formally ambitious buildings and concert venues in the world. Its stainless steel exterior unfurls in sweeping, sail-like planes, while the interior features Douglas fir and oak surfaces that enhance the hall’s acclaimed acoustics, shaped with the help of Yasuhisa Toyota. The project offered Los Angeles a defining civic monument and became a long-awaited cornerstone for Grand Avenue’s cultural district. Today it remains both a beloved public space and a testament to Gehry’s ability to merge sculptural exuberance with functional precision.
Situated in the Bois de Boulogne, Frank Gehry’s Fondation Louis Vuitton resembles a collection of glass ‘sails’ billowing around a solid core. The architect used advanced glass technologies to create curved, transparent forms that give the museum a startling lightness despite its size. The building navigates the delicate balance between parkland and monumental architecture, becoming at once a cultural destination and an experiential journey through layered spaces, gardens, and promenades. It demonstrated Gehry’s continued evolution late into his career, pushing digital fabrication and structural engineering to new heights.
Frank Gehry’s first European project marked a turning point in his international recognition. The Vitra Design Museum introduced a new vocabulary of sharp angles, white plaster surfaces, and expressive, intersecting volumes — foreshadowing the complex geometries that would later define his better-known works. Although it’s modest in scale, the building holds outsized influence as an early example of deconstructivist architecture and as a beacon in Vitra’s campus of radical design.
One of Frank Gehry’s most distinctive urban buildings, the Dancing House is defined by the dialogue between a curving glass tower and a more static stone volume, often described — at Gehry’s suggestion — as ‘Fred and Ginger.’ This nickname is, of course, in reference to the iconic dance duo Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. Built on a difficult riverside site, the building sparked controversy for its bold departure from Prague’s historic architecture, but ultimately became a beloved landmark. It remains a key example of Gehry’s ability to inject movement and personality into tight, complex city contexts.
The design and architecture industries are complex, and making a living from them can be daunting.
How should you navigate the industry as a fledgling?
This is the question we posed to industry leaders – people who themselves have built successful businesses.
Advice from the practical to the existential
Among the architects featured are deconstructivist powerhouse Libeskind and Stirling Prize winner Níall McLaughlin, who established their eponymous studios in 1989 and 1991 respectively.
We also spoke with architects who have found success more recently, such as Ghotmeh, who was this year named on Time magazine’s list of the world’s 100 most influential rising stars.
Advice ranged from the practical to the existential, although certain time-tested themes carried throughout – master basic skills, build community, stay curious and don’t be afraid to be yourself.
Many of the participants encouraged trying different types of design, while others stressed the importance of having and maintaining “big ideas”.
Over the past two weeks, our Performance Review series highlighting the issues facing architecture and design has sometimes made for bleak reading.
But here we explore how opportunities can still be found in spite of the challenges.
Read on for advice from 12 top architects and designers:
“Be in the room with potential clients” says Sabine Marcelis
“Be authentic and unapologetically yourself. Work hard, be kind and prepare for when luck or an opportunity strikes.
“Opportunities don’t just happen – you have to take an active role in creating them.
“Be in the room with potential clients. Go to the events you are invited to. You never know who you may meet or sit next to at a dinner.
“Face-to-face connections still are so important in establishing bonds that can lead to future work/projects.”
“You need an accountant and you need a lawyer” says Tosin Oshinowo
“The most practical advice I can give is that you need an accountant and you need a lawyer. If you don’t set the right structures from day one, it will create challenges for you in the future. The irony is, yes, having these external parties comes at a cost, but you have to find a way to create that foundational structure. Never think that you can use a standard agreement – every job is bespoke.
“For young designers and young architects, it’s the easiest pothole to fall into because we have finished design school and think we’ve got all the skills to provide the service, but we don’t have the skills to run a business.
“It’s a saturated market, but everybody has a defining factor. You have to find your secret sauce and use it as your marketing tool. The easiest entry into architecture, but the most saturated, is residential – there’s so much competition, which means that the fees you earn on it are low because there is somebody else who will do it a little bit cheaper. That’s not the place any young designer wants to get into.
“Look for collaborations, competitions and working with communities. These might not necessarily be high-paying opportunities, but they will propel your career forward. Civic projects and community-led projects tend to have very good PR – residential, not so much.
“The two things you need to build are a capital base and a profile. You might end up using the more boring projects to pay the bills, but make sure you have work that gives you enough of a presence that you can use that to push your agenda as a practice.
“We are entering the era where the star architect is dead. The next generation of designers needs to be in tune with balance and knowing that they are not at the head of the table – they are one of many parties that need to collaborate to create good architecture that is equitable, sustainable and progressive.
“We are faced with a new age of how AI is going to change our profession. One thing is very clear: it can never replace the jobs that require souls, and we should be mindful of that. We have tools being provided to us that we didn’t have before. We should never allow them to control us, but we can utilise them to our benefit, and architects who understand this very early on are the ones who will survive the evolution.”
“Stop thinking you should wait until somebody discovers you. It’s not going to happen. You make your own luck.
“There seems to be a nervousness about putting your stuff out there. It’s a very different and fast-evolving world; it’s so much easier to get an idea out and test it out in the real world. I’d say, get on with it, don’t hold on to a single idea and keep trying.
“I get a lot of people coming to me for jobs who have spent four or five years at art school and got a portfolio with three ideas in, but I’m like, so what did you do for the rest of the time? These people are frozen in nervousness about getting their ideas out.
“It’s tough because you’re assaulted with exemplars of people who seem successful or have loads of ideas all the time. It gets harder and harder to know what your idea is. I sympathise, but you have to act.
“I tell students to go to parties. Do not ignore the parties, do not ignore your teachers, do not ignore all the workshops and the rest of it. The more people and connections you have, the more that works into your work life in the long term.”
“See as much as you can. Whether visiting a major exhibition or setting up studio visits with artisans and makers, I encourage everyone to be curious, especially when you’re just starting out. Immersing yourself in all kinds of creative practices is the quickest way to educate your eye and find your distinct perspective.
“I recommend getting very good at the basics, becoming a very good listener and then taking risks. There is a lot of sameness out there, so conveying your own point of view is essential. And this is a client service business, so being able to collaborate and exceed expectations will ensure positive word of mouth. When I began, I had to be very clever in executing my vision within budget and trying to see past roadblocks.
“The explosion of AI in the creative realm is already shaping our future. Being adept at leveraging these tools to clarify your own creative voice and supercharging your output will define those who are leading the pack.
“Moments that might seem challenging are the greatest learning opportunities. Lean into the hard times, don’t run away. A creative career is always a process of growth. Be scrappy and get your hands dirty – you will get out what you put in.”
“Students sometimes come to my studio to get advice from me, and I’m always very cautious. A lot of people’s wisdom doesn’t apply anymore. Even in the 10 years since I graduated, the world and education have transformed so much that I may be a dinosaur in the way I run my studio.
“But there are a few things that I always tell [students]. You need stamina – don’t expect quick successes. It’s a slow and long process, so this has to be taken into account and people should not get discouraged.
“People don’t pay attention to who their market is. This is super important and I had to learn it the hard way. It would have made things a lot easier in my earlier years if I had understood who the people purchasing things from me would be, because it’s not only about creativity – if you want to continue, you have to have sales.
“Understand how to sell to whom and in what quantity, and how they make money with that – these annoying calculations that become very normal at some point, but in the beginning, as a young independent designer, everybody completely avoids them because you just focus on making beautiful things.”
“Practice the basics until you are fluent” says Níall McLaughlin
“An in-depth knowledge of construction is indispensable. If you haven’t been taught that in college, teach yourself. It will open up opportunities for you, and you will be confident enough to take them.
“If someone can draw beautifully, make precise models, and do 3D digital work fluently, they will be welcome in any office. Don’t forget to apply to my studio!
“Despite what you hear in the media, there is a market out there for skilful architects who demonstrate mastery of the discipline. Practice the basics until you are fluent, then the world is your oyster.”
“If you don’t have big ideas, you’re already irrelevant” says Daniel Libeskind
“My advice would be to follow what you love and follow your dreams. Don’t get sidelined by concepts that undermine your skills or the folly that doesn’t let you follow what you are really good at.
“To get a job you have to differentiate yourself, not by style or by superficial look, but by a profound path that you’re following.
“There’s always going to be sceptics – people who will tell a young person that they will not succeed, that they will fail if they don’t join the larger crowd, but I think the opposite. If you have something that you want to do, you will be very successful if you don’t listen to them. Of course, there might be some years in the desert, but ultimately you’ll emerge to some freedom with your talent.
“I think the great danger is that people give up and think technology will drive everything they will do, but it’s not that way. It’s we – people who are talented, with ideas, who dream – that will drive that whole development.
“If you don’t have big ideas, you’re already irrelevant, you’re already unnecessary. To be successful, you have to offer something that isn’t just reinforcing the patterns that already exist, but creating something outside of that pattern. It used to be called art, or creativity.”
“Look at the world with genuine curiosity” says Lina Ghotmeh
“Architecture is a way of life. When choosing this path, one steps into a profession that shapes you as a person. It is a calling that urges you to look at the world with genuine curiosity. As an architect, you should nurture that curiosity and allow the world to move through you – so observe, research, and question what shapes the environment around you.
“Originality and depth come from a true commitment to ideas and integrity in practice. Standing out is the result of meaningful work pursued with perseverance. It is not a goal in itself, but a possible outcome of dedicated practice.
“Remember also that studying architecture is not only about eventually establishing your own practice – it is about finding your voice and your convictions within the context that suits you best. A collaborative practice may just be the environment where you can pursue your passion and align with an ethos that allows you to naturally stand out.
“We need architects who can think together, not only in competition. Architects capable of joining forces to bring architectural culture to a wider audience and to make architecture an essential part of every built environment.
“We need architects who are willing to challenge the status quo, who can tackle complexity, who care deeply for their surroundings, and who are ready to leap forward with the technological revolutions ahead of us. See the positive side of the world and build upon it.”
“I think young people now more than ever have an advantage over the older generation with knowledge in digital tools, social media, etc.
“The problem is that too many people listen to what teachers and the industry say is ‘correct’. What the industry teaches is just the same path everyone is taking! Think different – there’s so many things you can do.
“I designed bad things in the start but if I told that to the younger Gustaf, he would probably have stopped trying.”
“Show how you think, not just what you draw” says Carlo Ratti
“Show how you think, not just what you draw. When I review portfolios, the projects that stay with me aren’t always the most polished, but they are the ones that reveal new ideas forming. AI can automate representation but it cannot invent meaning on its own. Start from the strength of your ideas; that’s where humanity still lives.
“We need architects who can connect across disciplines. I like to think of this new figure as a choral architect: someone who designs through coordination, participation and shared intelligence.
“I understand the fatigue. Architecture often turns inward, mistaking its metaphors for reality. But the world is shifting fast; the climate is transforming, populations are changing, resources are vanishing.
“The question isn’t whether architecture will adapt, but how. To borrow Buckminster Fuller’s words, we must be architects of the future, not its victims.”
“Learn to observe. Architecture and design are really about listening to people, to materials, to the histories that live inside a space. Slow down enough to understand why things are built the way they are. That’s where the real education is.
“Build community. Find mentors, collaborate with people outside your discipline, and surround yourself with people who challenge you to grow. No one does this work alone.
“The industry needs designers who aren’t afraid to tell the truth. People who design with purpose, with heart, with culture. We need a generation that’s willing to challenge the old systems, rethink how we build, and create spaces that actually reflect the people living in them. Designers who lead with empathy, curiosity, and conviction – that’s what will move us forward.
“Keep moving, even when the path feels heavy. Every sketch, every mistake, every late night is shaping your voice. Don’t rush it. Let your story rise through the work.”
Martellus
“Never employ experts in full bloom. The true value of a team lies not in hiring those who believe they have already reached their peak, but in cultivating growth, curiosity, and development within your ranks.
“An expert who is still growing brings energy, adaptability, and fresh vision. To build lasting work, surround yourself with people who are becoming, not those who believe they have already become.”
SANAA unveils the Taichung Art Museum as part of the Green Museumbrary | all images by 
the dual-layer facade combines glass or metal cladding with expanded aluminum mesh
the mesh screen improves environmental performance while shaping the building’s identity
the outdoor garden functions as both a public space and cultural extension
the cultural complex combines a metropolitan art museum with the city’s central library
the building volume is lifted above the ground to allow light and breeze to pass through
reading areas and exhibition zones are arranged to overlap and encourage interaction
the library is planned to hold over one million physical and digital resources
shaded plazas beneath the structure create open and permeable public access
the design concept is described as ‘a library in a park and an art museum in a forest’
Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, Bilabao, Spain, 1997 | image © 
Walt Disney Concert Hall, Los Angeles, USA, 2003 | image © 
Fondation Louis Vuitton, Paris, France, 2014 | image © 
Vitra Design Museum, Weil am Rhein, Germany, 1989 | image © 
