Good Design is a Team Effort
UMD architecture students joined peers from Catholic University, George Washington University, UDC and other regional programs to improve community, accessibility and connection along Pennsylvania Avenue, part of the annual Interschool Design Competition at the National Building Museum. This team took 2nd place for the Freedom Plaza plan. Read about the challenge here.
The Breach: Creation Through Division
The redesign of Freedom Plaza divides the site into two purposeful zones to bring cohesion, functionality, and community connection. A new central road oriented toward the Capitol Building enhances movement and visual connectivity while incorporating bike lanes for sustainable mobility.
The northern island becomes a lively community hub centered around the Pulaski statue, featuring rotating food kiosks that support local small businesses. The southern island is reimagined as a civic space dedicated to protests, gatherings, and public expression.
Throughout the site, canopy-like structures provide soft, diffused light that protects visitors from the harsh sun and creates comfortable shaded areas for gathering and rest. The canopies also feature solar panels on top and kinetic floor tiles beneath, generating renewable energy to power on-site amenities such as lighting, food kiosks, and the EV charging station.
Additional sustainable elements include a new bus stop at the southwestern end of the block and an electric vehicle charging station, further supporting eco-friendly transportation. Overall, the proposal envisions a dynamic, inclusive plaza that balances daily use with civic engagement, celebrating both congregation and confrontation as essential parts of collective progress.
Team Members
- Heyam Abualrub - UMD, MAPP School
- Kai Christie - UDC
- Addison Bowman - Catholic University
- Anosha Fatima - WAAC
- Ann-nelly Cotin - Howard University
- Fatemeh MashhadiMohammadzadehVazifeh - WAAC
Team 1 Earns Second Place at the Interschool Design Competition
Among the interschool group, B.S. Arch student Heyam Abualrub represented UMD and the School of Architecture, Planning & Preservation with their collaborative project on a new plan for Freedom Plaza. (Abualrub is pictured third from the left.)
B.S. Arch student Heyam Abualrub (right) works on a new plan for Freedom Plaza. Photo courtesy of NCARB).