DFW International Terminal D

Designing DFW’s bold new international foothold.

Anticipating a doubling of international air travel in the next ten years, Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) developed a new two million-square-foot terminal building to consolidate its international operations into a single, premier facility. Terminal D’s architectural expression reflects the cultural boldness of the region and supports major passenger flows within dramatic processing halls.

The fixed programmatic requirements for the terminal included two ticketing halls, concourses, concessions areas, customs hall, bag claim areas, airline clubs, automated people mover stations and an integrated 300-room hotel. The architects’ challenge was to develop a concept to unify all of these important components within one expansive terminal building. The resulting design features a roof which gathers the collection of public spaces under a continuous form. Prominent from both landside and airside, the stainless steel roof and lit roof edge unify the large terminal footprint. 

The terminal is served by a three-level roadway system, departures, arrivals and service, as well as an 8,000-car garage connected to the terminal by pedestrian bridges.