Tidal Basin Ideas Lab

Tidal basin ideas lab

Five leading landscape architecture firms reimagined the future of Washington D.C.’s iconic Tidal Basin and National Mall for the Ideas Lab. Unlike a Design Competition, which typically selects a winner with a conclusive master plan, the Ideas Lab is a platform for the exchange of approaches and solutions between designers, stakeholders, and the public. Provocative and challenging concepts present the cultural landscape opportunities in a new light, taking on fundamental issues in a comprehensive and respectful way. GGN envisions a dynamic series of incremental changes that will adapt the site to the environmental challenges of the future and give rise to a new cultural aesthetic.

Achieved over three stages between today and 2090, this adaptive plan will accommodate forecasted sea level rise and will integrate regional ecologies to bring an overdue, ecological point of view. Monuments will be adapted, protected, or relocated to ensure the national importance of this collective space.

DETAILS

Location: Washington, DC
Size: 107 acres
Client Group: National Trust for Historic Preservation and the Trust for the National Mall together with the National Park Service, alongside civic partner Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), and American Express
Completion Date: 2020