The enhanced Terminal 2 spanning nearly one million square feet features 40 shops and restaurants, eight works of art, 36 gates and modern architecture. The retail offerings at the new terminal include a pre-security Starbucks restaurant with dine-in seating.
Key architectural design elements of the terminal include: column-free and open design; a rolling roof evoking the landscape of central North Carolina; wooden roof trusses symbolising the region’s heritage; carpet patterns of abstract DNA sequences signifying the region’s Research Triangle Park; and an extensive glass curtainwall permitting abundant penetration of natural light into the terminal interiors.
Works of art for Terminal 2, originally envisioned in the airport’s Master Plan for Art developed in 2000, were chosen to complement the terminal’s architecture. The art works reflect the art plan’s theme of ‘handmade and mind made’, depicting elements of craftsmanship, technology and science.
Some of the art installations are ‘Cloudscape’ by Mei-Ling Hom, which is a hanging sculpture of 50 intricate cloud formations suspended by discreet cabling; ‘Gate of Earth’ by Lydia Rubio, consisting of two pieces featured in light wells; ‘Terminal 2 Signature Art’ by Dunne Dittman, evocative of fine gems in a storefront window; ‘Triplet’ by Ed Carpenter, which reflects guiding theme of handmade and mind made; ‘Welcome’ by Robert Kushner, which is a stone and glass mosaic mural; and ‘Wingspun’ by Ed Carpenter – a 780ft-long glass installation along the international arrivals corridor.
