OMA's 11th street bridge park in washington DC set to move ahead

led by jason long, OMA — together with landscape architects OLIN — has completed preliminary plans for the ‘11th street bridge park’ in washington DC. since winning the international design competition in 2014, the team has been working with a host of agencies and stakeholders to develop and improve the design of the bridge. the latest plans were reviewed and approved by local authorities at the beginning of april 2020 with the project now set to move ahead.

image © OMA and luxigon (also main image)

‘at a time when we are paradoxically isolated from one another but united in a common cause, public spaces that we all share and that benefit health have become more important than ever,’ says jason long, OMA partner. ‘our work has focused on creating a new civic space that engages with the anacostia river and refining the program for the park to ensure it will be a place for everyone in DC.’

image © OMA and luxigon

OMA has continued its collaboration with OLIN, under the leadership of partner hallie boyce, as the firms refine the program spaces as well as materiality and landscape design. OMA and OLIN have also been working closely with structural engineers WRA and delon hampton throughout the process. in addition, key stakeholders such as the anacostia watershed society have collaborated with the design team to refine the design of the major programmatic spaces.

image © OMA and luxigon

‘this project would not have been possible without the efforts of key stakeholders and the community,’ says yusef ali dennis, OMA associate. ‘their comments and feedback truly shaped the bridge, from its overall design to its specific programs and features. it’s only fitting that a project of this size and importance has required such broad cooperation and collaboration.’

image © OMA and luxigon

intended to unite a ‘long-divided city’, the project will be the first public space in the US capital that will make a bridge a destination — a park above the river — where access to green spaces can significantly encourage physical activity. the plans have been reviewed and approved by the national capital planning commission (NCPC), while the park also received positive feedback from the U.S. commission of fine arts and is planning a presentation to the full commission this fall. construction is currently slated to begin in 2021. see designboom’s previous coverage of the project here.

image © OMA and luxigon

image © OLIN

image © OMA and luxigon

image © OMA

image © OMA

project info:

name: 11th street bridge park
architect: OMA
partner: jason long
associate: yusef ali dennis
team: titouan chapouly, alireza shojakhani, yiyao wang, gonzalo samaniego
landscape architect: OLIN
structural & civil engineer: WRA, delon hampton
MEPFP: setty
community outreach advisor: ARCH development
acoustics consultant: threshold acoustics
lighting designer: MCLA
renderings: luxigon