Last September, the Trust for the National Mall launched the National Mall Design Competition, which solicited recommendations from across the country about how to best redesign three prominent National Mall sites: Union Square, the Washington Monument Grounds at Sylvan Theater, and Constitution Gardens. The 36-week contest has come to an end.
“The National Mall Design Competition is the first step in the implementation of the National Mall Plan,” said Caroline Cunningham, president of the Trust for the National Mall. “The National Mall Plan is only one of four in the 220-year history of the park and the Trust is excited to steward this next chapter.”
It has been 36 years since its last major renovation. The National Mall was simply not intended to sustain 25 million annual visitors and 3,000 permitted events. The new designs will be judged on the functionality, sustainability, and constructability of the design and how well it reflects the established vision and design influences.
“Our Competition process has attracted nationally renowned design teams that will respect the historic integrity of the sites while creating an innovative vision of what the National Mall can be,” said Donald J. Stastny FAIA FAICP FCIP, the Competition Manager.
Four finalists were chosen for each location, based on their design portfolios, team qualifications and interviews. They are:
Union Square:
- Diller Scofidio Renfro & Hood Design
- Gustafson Guthrie Nichol & Davis Brody Bond
- Pei Cobb Freed & Partners & Workshop: Ken Smith Landscape Architect
- Snohetta & AECOM
Sylvan Theater on the Washington Monument Grounds:
- Balmori Associates & Work Architecture Company
- Diller Scofidio Renfro & Hood Design
- Michael Maltzan Architecture & Tom Leader Studio
- OLIN & Weiss/Manfredi
Constitution Gardens:
- Andropogon & Bohlin Cywinski Jackson
- Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architect & Paul Murdoch Architects
- OLIN & Weiss/Manfredi
- Rogers Marvel Architects & Peter Walker and Partners
Click here to see their ideas. The idea pages for each finalist’s ideas also include links to their entry forms so landscape design-build professionals can get an idea of what goes into such a high-profile proposal.
- Rogers Marvel Architects & Peter Walker and Partners will redesign Constitution Gardens.
- OLIN + Weiss/Manfredi will redesign the Sylvan Theater near the Washington Monument.
- Gustafson Guthrie Nichol & Davis Brody Bond will redesign Union Square.
A Steering Committee representing diverse interests oversaw the development of the Competition before handing its management over to Stastny. The panel includes representatives from the National Park Service, the Architect of the Capitol, the US Park Police, the Smithsonian Institution, the National Gallery of Art, the National Capital Planning Commission, the Commission on Fine Arts and the D.C. Office of Planning.
