OMA celebrate progress to transform city infrastructure

Tenderstream member OMA/Jason Long, together with landscape architects OLIN, structural engineers WRA and other members of the 11th Street Bridge Park design team, have marked major milestones in planning and design to create the Washington’s first elevated park. Since a new bridge replaced the old 11th Street Bridge that connected D.C.’s Capitol Hill/Navy Yard and historic Anacostia/Fairlawn neighbourhood, District government and Building Bridges Across the River have worked to transform the aging structure into a new venue for healthy recreation, environmental education, and the arts.

After a seven-month nationwide design competition, design team of OMA+OLIN was selected for the task, with the subsequent design process involving community outreach activities and consultations, anchored by hundreds of stakeholder meetings. Acting as a destination for some and a pedestrian and bike route for others, the park will include an outdoor performance space, playgrounds, urban agriculture, an Environmental Education Centre with classrooms to teach students about river systems, public art, and kayak and canoe launches.

Since receiving positive feedback from the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, the design team has further refined the plans, which are revealed through new renderings. The amphitheatre, a main gathering space, has been shifted from the elevated deck to the bridge’s east entry within Anacostia Park to expand capacity up to about 250 people. Finishes and plantings site-wide have also been refined

On 6th October, the team, along with Building Bridges Across the River, will host a major community meeting to update residents on the project’s progress and solicit additional feedback. The next design presentation to the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts will take place this November.

Lucy Nordberg
Tenderstream Head of Research

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