For the fourth year running!
Denver International Airport (DIA) has been voted 'Best Airport in North America' for the fourth consecutive year by readers of Business Traveler magazine.
DIA is the first airport ever to achieve a four-year streak as the favorite among North American business travelers. Denver’s Curtis Fentress designed the soaring snow-capped peaks of DIA’s Passenger Terminal, which opened in 1995.
In addition to being named 'Best Airport in North America,' DIA ranked as 'America’s 4th Favorite Architecture' landmark among all U.S. buildings completed in the last 15 years in a public poll by the American Institute of Architects and Harris Interactive in 2007.
“I envisioned a rejuvenation of airport building through the creation of great vaulted spaces, on the order of Grand Central,” says Fentress. “Passengers were starved for an airport to break the mold of bland people processors. I was given the opportunity to transfix the wonder of flight and the magnificence of Colorado’s natural surroundings into an airport terminal.”
With a deadline of only three weeks to create the terminal’s conceptual
design, Curtis Fentress broke the mold of traditional airport architecture by “turning the building
upside down.” The innovative form evokes the majestic snow-capped peaks of the Rocky
Mountains, Colorado’s international signature. A gateway to the West, DIA is internationally
known for its innovative design, unique sense of place and memorable architecture.
The largest fully-enclosed, integrated tensile fabric structure in the world when DIA was built,
Fentress’ design revolutionized airport design. As a pioneer in sustainable design, Fentress
provided the foundation for a highly green airport. Natural daylight bathes the interior of the
terminal via numerous clerestories, curtain-walls (with a low-e coating) and the translucent roof.
The roof material reflects 20 percent of solar radiation in the summer and retains heat in the
winter. With the recent addition of operational improvements (such as recycling) and solar
power generation, DIA leads the industry for sustainable airports nationwide.
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