The International Arrivals Facility will increase from 12 to 20 the number of gates at Seattle-Tacoma Airport. Image © SOM
For the upcoming Seattle-Tacoma facility, scheduled to open in 2020, SOM [in collaboration with Miller Hull] created eight new gates, increasing the total to 20. A bridge will allow international travelers to move on foot over taxiing aircraft. The new 450,000-square-foot building attempts to convey a strong sense of arrival, with windows on either side of the elevated passageway facing Mount Rainier on one side and the Olympic Mountains on the other. The roof, made of glass and aluminum panels, subtly follows the twists and turns of planes gliding through the air.