Working Capital: Her designs help enhance the experience of Reagan National travelers

Erical Donnelly stands at the aiport
Architect Erica Donnelly talks about the work she did at Reagan National Airport. (WTOP/Abigail Constantino)
couple at the airport
Juanita and Oscar Huelgas, from California, say that despite waiting at the airport for a long time, their experience at Reagan National Airport was “nice.” (WTOP/Abigail Constantino)
amenities ar Reagan National
Another improvement project at Reagan National Airport will provide more amenities and concessions for travelers. (WTOP/Abigail Constantino)
bathroom sign
Part of the work architect Erica Donnelly did at Reagan National Airport was to improve the bathrooms, in an aim to enhance traveler experience. (WTOP/Abigail Constantino)
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Erical Donnelly stands at the aiport
couple at the airport
amenities ar Reagan National
bathroom sign

In the D.C. region, conversations often start with, “What do you do?” WTOP’s new series “Working Capital” looks at the jobs in the D.C. region and the people doing the work.

How this architect designs the features and amenities at Reagan National Airport

As an airport employee, Erica Donnelly has the inside view of the workings at Reagan National Airport. She is an architect with design firm PGAL, which has a branch in Alexandria, Virginia.

The branch has a focus on aviation architecture, and for more than 35 years, has been part of many design projects at Reagan National and Dulles International airports.

She’s most proud of the work she did at Reagan National’s new North Concourse, which opened in 2021. Part of a $1 billion redesign at Terminals B/C, dubbed Project Journey, the design won an AIA Northern Virginia Design Award.

“It was a really nice addition to this airport, really enhanced the passenger experience, brought a lot more seating, natural light, amenities to this airport, and we’re only continuing that with the DCA Reimagined project,” Donnelly said. That’s another ongoing project at Terminal 2 that includes new concessions, amenities and upgraded restrooms.

In designing one of the upgraded restrooms already in use at Reagan National, Donnelly said she thought about how, as a passenger, she would want to interact with and feel in the space.

“In a restroom, in particular, to have larger stalls is really nice, especially when you’re traveling with your luggage, and brighter restrooms,” Donnelly said, also pointing out the two additional pet restrooms for those who travel with animals.

What passengers say they want while they wait

Travelers Oscar and Juanita Huelgas were waiting for the airline counter to open for their flight home to San Francisco last November. They arrived at Reagan National too early because they had to check out of their accommodations by 10 a.m. and their flight was later that afternoon.

They said lockers before the security checkpoint would be nice to have, so they could put their luggage in there and spend a few more hours exploring D.C.

Oscar Huelgas said if they had to wait, it would be nice to have “comfy, loungy chairs.” Despite having to wait several hours, he said Reagan National was nice because it wasn’t too crowded.

By nature, Donnelly said an airport is a very stressful environment — travelers have to go through several steps to get to their gates. “Arriving early helps,” Donnelly said.

While steps have been taken to enhance the security process, she said there’s only so much design can do to help. But past security is where Donnelly said design can provide a more peaceful environment, including amenities that can “really just put you at ease or enhance your experience while you wait for your flight.”

Taking inspiration from the ‘grandeur of DC’

The airport can be the first impression of a place for travelers visiting for the first time. When thinking about designing at Reagan National, Donnelly said the focus was the metropolitan and river landscapes, as well as “the grandeur of D.C.”

“Ties to the cherry blossoms, ties to the original design here at Terminal 2, to focus on the Jefferson Memorial dome, the monuments,” Donnelly said.

She takes into account the original design of the airport, including the ochre color that has coated the interior steel since 1997. “National yellow” is generously used in the design of the North Concourse, including on the floors, where the shade indicates to passengers they are approaching a confluence and helps them get to where they are going.

Dulles also has its own shade — “Dulles gray.”

How she chose architecture over accounting

Donnelly passed six very long exams and completed a certain number of working hours before getting her architecture license. Growing up in Annapolis, Maryland, she said she always had an interest in design and math. When she was looking into colleges, she applied to both architecture and accounting programs.

Then her high school offered a course where students learn some of the basics of architecture.

“That really helped me realize that I think this is what I want to do,” Donnelly said. “It’s mixing both that very technical mathematical side with the creative design side.”

She said some architects prefer the technical aspects, finite details and the “really nitty-gritty of things,” while others like the bigger picture.

“I like both. But I think you could be really technical, you could be more design-oriented,” Donnelly said. “I think there’s so much you can do with an architecture background.”

Job outlook for architects in the DC area

Architects plan and design houses, factories, office buildings and other structures. They work in offices but also visit construction sites to prepare initial drawings, review the progress of projects and make sure the client’s goals are met.

The median annual pay for architects in 2023 was $93,310, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

D.C. is one of the top-paying places for architects, with an annual mean wage of $115,230, second only to California. The District also has the highest concentration of jobs and economic activity within the architecture industry.

The D.C. Metropolitan Area has one of the highest employment levels for architects, ranking sixth behind New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston and San Francisco.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects an employment growth of 8% from 2023 to 2033 for architects — faster than the average for all occupations.

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Abigail Constantino

Abigail Constantino started her journalism career writing for a local newspaper in Fairfax County, Virginia. She is a graduate of American University and The George Washington University.

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