11th street
bridge park

OMA+OLIN’s winning design for the 11th Street Bridge Park Competition connects two historically disparate sides of the Anacostia River with a series of rooms and active zones, including two sloped ramps that elevate visitors to maximized look-out points to landmarks in either direction. Each ramp terminates in a waterfall that visually reconnects the ramps to the river below. In addition to demonstrating how plants cleanse captured rainwater, the waterfalls above the bridge deck provide cooling breezes and a calming sound. The waterfall below the structure collects surface river water and drops it back into the river, emphasizing the need for river aeration and higher oxygen levels. To encourage visitors to the bridge and neighboring communities, the design includes amenities for comfort and refreshment and an open plaza for markets, festivals and theatrical performances. The form of the bridge creates an iconic encounter, an “X” instantly recognizable as the river’s new image.

Location
Washington, DC

Owner
Building Bridges Across the River at THEARC

Status
Design in progress

Key Team Members
Hallie Boyce, Design Partner
Judy Venonsky, Associate, Living Systems Specialist
Josh Leaskey, Associate, QA/QC

Competition Team
Hallie Boyce, Design Partner
Skip Graffam, Design Partner
Ryan Buckley, Project Manager
Siyu Du, Landscape Architect

Awards
2024, The Committee of 100 on the Federal City, Vision Award
2023, Chicago Athenaeum American Architecture Award: 11th Street Bridge Park
2023, American Society of Landscape Architects, Pennsylvania-Delaware Chapter, Merit Award in the Analysis & Planning Category
2019, WLA Award of Excellence, Conceptual Category
2018, Architizer A+ Award, Unbuilt Masterplan
2014, 11th Street Bridge Park Design Competition, Winning Entry

Consultant Team
PRIME: WRA Engineers
ARCHITECT: OMA
STRUCTURAL ENGINEERS: WRA, Arup (Competition)
COMMUNITY OUTREACH : ARCH Development (Competition)
MEP: Setty & Associates
ACOUSTICS: Threshold Acoustics
CIVIL ENGINEER: WRA and Delon Hampton
FACADE/WATERPROOFING: WDP & Associates
COST: Dharam Consulting
LIGHTING: MCLA
PLAY AREA: Studio Ludo
PUBLIC ART ADVISOR (COMPETITION): Cecilia Alemani
RENDERING: Luxigon, OMA, OLIN