The popular blog, Greater Greater Washington, highlights a new project by UMD architecture graduate students, which re-envisions Washington, D.C.’s Banneker Overlook by proposing a new neighborhood that connects the Wharf at DC’s Southwest waterfront to the National Mall. Their vision, part of ARCH 700 Urban Design Studio and led by Professor Matthew Bell, FAIA, addresses the disconnection in those areas brought about by the federal urban renewal projects of the 1960s. In addition to better access, the proposal seeks to return the area to its pre-urban renewal days of a vibrant commercial hub with retail, residential, office and cultural uses. The public spaces proposed present opportunities for civic art honoring the overlook’s namesake, Benjamin Banneker, an African American who was “instrumental in establishing the modern boundaries of the nation’s capital.” Read the article here. Experience the student’s fly-over video of the project, here.
The project team is: Yoel Alemayehu, Erin Barkman, Adrian Bradshaw, Pedro Camargo, Jennifer Chorosevic, Emily Latham, Lawrence Manongdo and Eli Shanklin.
The video was largely the work of Lawrence Manongdo.