Credit: Judy Davis Photography

City of the Future Competition

BBB was selected as the winner of the "City of the Future: A Design and Engineering Challenge" for Washington DC, a competition (inspired by the History Channel series, Cities of the Underworld) in which eight teams of architects and designers were challenged to envision what the capital city will look like one hundred years from now.

BBB's vision for the City of the Future was inspired by the historic layers of Washington, DC and grounded in the reality of contemporary environmental challenges. The entry envisions the nation's capital as the first entirely self-sufficient and environmentally sustainable city in the country. Soaring towers built on the sites of former forts that once defended Washington, DC serve as centers for wind harvesting, solar energy production, hydroponic farming, and transportation. Downtown DC is revitalized by increasing residential density, converting L'Enfant's diagonal avenues to green space, restoring natural tidal flows, and adding a new public transit network absent of conventional vehicles. And at the center of the new historic core, the National Mall is transformed and expanded by allowing the original waterway, the Tiber Creek, to naturally permeate the landscape and connect the Anacostia and Potomac Rivers. Teams were given seven days to create their concepts and three hours to install their models at Union Station in Washington, DC for public display and judging.

 

Client

The History Channel

Location

Washington, DC

Completed

2008

People

FAIA
Partner Emeritus
Partner-in-Charge
AIA, AICP, LEED AP
Partner
AIA, LEED AP BD+C, WELL AP
Senior Associate, Project Manager
AIA, LEED AP
Principal