Hasta La Ideas

The six finalists for the Washington Monument Grounds Competition were just announced. The competition is centered around the Washington Monument and the fact that, despite centuries of planning, the area surrounding it has never been fully finished. The goal is to make the grounds “more welcoming, educational, and effectively used by the public.”

Catherine Peek’s “Field of Stars”

I have to admit that the submissions from the majority of the finalists, whom include both local and international architects, are rather unimpressive. One merely positions trees in a variety of patterns, while another is a rather abrupt field of “landscaping lights that generate piezoelectricity and trigger fragments of historic sound.” Um, what? A third looks like an attempt at the Vietnam Memorial 2.0.

Jinwoo Lim’s “You and Me”

Karol Kawiaka’s “The People’s Forum”

Luckily, there is a single entry that stands out above the rest. Karol Kawiaka’s “The People’s Forum” is an amphitheater built into the base of the Washington Monument. The rows of seats are literally in the shadow of the tower. As described in Kawiaka’s presentation board:

Jefferson’s original plan for Washington, D.C. defined two axes representing presidential leadership and democratic governance. 200 years later, that vision is realized by a civic place that tells the story of the Washington Monument, creates a public forum for gatherings, and completes a vision of the Mall as America’s front lawn.

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