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Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Beneath a great roof, airplanes and travelers will gather: an airport for the city of Washington D.C.

Abstract

dc:description.abstract

This thesis investigates the design of a new airport for the city of Washington D.C. The design explores the idea of an airport as a harbor and a gateway into the city. An airport as a place for the meeting of aircraft and traveler; a place for both person and machine. The dominant element of the airport is the roof of the main terminal. The main terminal is divided along its length with a series of tall concrete masts. From the masts, hollow concrete box beams are hung from a web of four hundred steel cables. The concrete box beam is formed by thirty foot long sections spanning from cable to cable. The beam is made of ten sections that cantilever three hundred feet out each side from the line of masts. The roof is formed by these two cantilevers, and it is beneath this roof that the airplanes and the travelers gather. This thesis involves the grand scale. The size of elements like runways and aircraft require large and at times overwhelming designs; yet, care will be taken to accommodate the person, the traveler.

Degree

thesis:*
Name thesis:degree_name
Master of Architecture
Level thesis:degree_level
masters
Discipline thesis:degree_discipline
Architecture
Department dc:contributor.department
Architecture
Grantor dc:publisher
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Year dc:date.issued
1995

Author and committee

dc:creator, dc:contributor.*
Author dc:creator
  • Ziegenfuss, Stephen David
Chair dc:contributor.committeechair
  • Hunt, Gregory K.
Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember
  • Holt, Jaan
  • Piedmont-Palladino, Susan C.

Rights

dc:rights
Statement dc:rights
  • In Copyright
Language dc:language.iso
en

Identifiers

dc:identifier.*
Handle dc:identifier.uri
http://hdl.handle.net/10919/52145
OAI identifier oai:identifier
oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/52145

Chain of custody

source
Harvested from
Virginia Tech
Base URL
vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/oai/request
Last updated
2026-07-22
Source record
OAI-PMH GetRecord
related terms
citation

Ziegenfuss, Stephen David. Beneath a great roof, airplanes and travelers will gather: an airport for the city of Washington D.C.. masters thesis, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 1995. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/52145