Santiago Calatrava's designs for DIA take flight

• I have to agree with the first comment. Calatrava is beyond egotistical here. His design is gigantic and it blocks the entire view of DIA--one of Colorado's most beautiful landmarks. Talk about wanting to be the biggest and the best... . I also agree with the idea that a structure should exhibit some hint of where it resides or to the people there. If it doesn't, it sticks out unpleasantly. This building, as mentioned above, can be plopped anywhere. It's not site specific at all. No, it doesn't have to shout COLORADO on it's side and no, it does not have to be built/designed by Colorado architects. Since it doesn't really relate to Colorado or its residences, it's hard to connect to it/relate to it. This could lead to the building becoming obsolete within 20 years.

• Dan Burnham....that's a good one! Chicago boy? Too much inside architectural knowledge, though.....Sounds like a sore loser to me. It's a good design, and it will pay for itself. Big airports like DIA are ridiculously profitable. And the growth of Low Cost airlines at the airport will fuel seriously attractive and profitable future growth. Plus it will put DIA on the map again. After a decade and a half of the tents, it's time for some fresh air....the next big thing. And for Marcia, why does it have to say "Colorado" in a twee, parochial way? This image will say "Colorado" in a brand new and totally iconic way? Unless you mean it should have been done by a local architect, and the Colorado thing is only a convenient excuse to dismiss any non-Coloradan. If it's OK for non-Coloradans to use the airport (50% of total passengers), it's OK for non-Coloradan architects to get the job. Just ask Curt Fentress how he likes winning airport projects out of town!

• Well... personally, I don't care for the look. If they need more buildings, I'd rather have it put out to bid from a variety of architects and see what other ideas might be out there. It doesn't really say "Colorado" to me, or resonate with the scenery much, in my humble opinion.

• Let's not rush to praise this project because its by a starchitect. The quality of the architecture is a B- at best. The massing of the building is ungainly. If it�s meant to evoke the wings of the bird, this one is a Dodo. The exterior walls are just plain boring�.there is no character designed into the plain white surfaces. What we are supposed to be excited about is a rehash of old ideas from Calatrava. There is nothing innovative beyond what he has already done many times, over the past 20 years. And it looks like it could be placed anywhere in the world. Where is the relationship to our Colorado setting? The terminal design by Fentress/Bradburn architects excels at abstracting the profile of the Rocky Mountains in the distance. The egotism of the Calatrava is tremendous! His concoction of a building completely blocks the view of the distinguished architectural design of the tented terminal as we will all approach by train and by car. The Westin hotel operator certainly will love their new building because the DIA terminal now looks like a backdrop for the hotel. Wake up! This project will be paid for largely by taxpayers and airport users� money and yet it will look like the hotel gets all of the notoriety. (Gee doesn�t this sound familiar! The Broncos and Rockies stadiums were largely paid for by Denver taxpayers and yet got named after minor commercial investors !) Expensive, is not the right word for this design. We don�t even comprehend how ridiculously costly this Calatrava design will be. Just look at his train station proposed at the World Trade Center site in New York City if you want to see how his projects skyrocket in price. Is this a morally sound avenue to pursue in the midst of this great economic recession? The people of Colorado deserve much better.

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