OMA and landscape architect OLIN win the competition for the 11th Street Bridge Park in Washington DC. The scheme was unanimously selected by the jury, in addition to receiving the recommendation of the design oversight committee and topping the public poll. 11th Street Bridge Park will be located on the original pillars of a decommissioned road bridge, spanning the Anacostia River to connect the exiting Anacostia Park on one side with Washington Navy Yard on the other. OMA + OLIN’s design will provide a place of exchange and interaction for Washington DC. The 11th Street Bridge Park connects the two historically disparate sides of the river, acting as an intersection where the contrasting conditions on the two banks can converge and coexist. OMA Partner-in-Charge Jason Long: “Our design creates a literal intersection and a dynamic, multi-layered amenity for both sides of the river. It simultaneously functions as a gateway, a lookout point with expansive views, a canopy that can shelter programs and a public plaza where the two paths meet. The resulting form of the bridge creates an iconic encounter, an “X” instantly recognizable within the capital’s tradition of civic spaces.” This announcement marks OMA’s first project in Washington DC and our second bridge design after Pont Jean-Jacques Bosc in Bordeaux, currently in design development.
