News Archive
Finalists Announced for the NoMa Underpass Design Competition
August 14, 2014
Washington, D.C., August 14, 2014 – The NoMa Parks Foundation has announced the 10 finalists for the NoMa Underpass Design Competition. A distinguished group of artists, architects, lighting designers, and landscape architects representing three countries and seven cities across the United States have been selected. The finalists will be given an honorarium to further develop their conceptual designs to transform four underpasses into safe, inspiring and beautiful spaces:
- Cinimod Studio + LDVC + Tall (London, UK)
- Citelum (Washington, DC)
- Future Cities Lab (San Francisco, CA)
- Lancaster + Matthew Schreiber (Brooklyn, NY)
- mikyoung kim design (Boston, MA)
- Narduli Studio (Los Angeles, CA)
- NIO Architects & Thurlow Small Architecture (Rotterdam, Netherlands & Pawtucket, RI)
- Ray King (Philadelphia, PA)
- Synthesis Design + Architecture & Moritz Waldemeyer (Los Angeles, CA & London, UK)
- United Visual Artists (London, UK)
Final designs will be presented to the community in October. With community feedback in hand, the jury will select the winners by year-end. Installation of the winning designs will begin in 2015. The project is a partnership between the NoMa Parks Foundation, the District of Columbia government, WMATA, and Amtrak.
“As the finalists embark on the last phase of the competition, excitement is growing in NoMa. Our transformed underpasses will unquestionably comprise a dynamic, signature moment here for years to come,” said Charles “Sandy” Wilkes, Chair of the NoMa Parks Foundation.
The purpose of the NoMa Underpass Design Competition is to transform the four underpasses at Florida Avenue, K, L, and M Streets, NE, from their current unappealing condition into light-filled, artistic spaces and improve the experience for pedestrians, cyclists and vehicular traffic.
The underpass competition has generated overwhelming interest and excitement since its announcement in April. During the Request for Qualifications (RFQ) phase, the Foundation received 248 submissions from 14 countries, including the District of Columbia. After a rigorous review, 49 semi-finalists were selected, which has now been narrowed down to 10 finalists.
The competition’s jury is comprised of Elizabeth Broun, Director of the Smithsonian American Art Museum; Roger Lewis, FAIA, Architect, University of Maryland Professor Emeritus of Architecture, Washington Post Columnist; Robin Rose, Washington artist; George Hemphill, local art curator/gallery owner; and Charles “Sandy” Wilkes, Chair of the NoMa Parks Foundation.
“The artists have been creative and inspiring in finding ways to transform these bleak underpasses into exciting urban spaces,” said Elizabeth Broun. “The jurying process has been thoughtful and professional. Congratulations to the NoMa BID and Foundation leadership for making the future of this neighborhood so much brighter.”
The competition is led by the NoMa Parks Foundation, and is one of several projects that are proceeding concurrently to acquire land, improve existing sites, and execute the long-term vision of the NoMa Public Realm Design Plan.
About The NoMa Parks Foundation
The NoMa Parks Foundation was formed in 2012 and the following year received a $50 million commitment from the District government to acquire land, build parks and enhance public space in NoMa.
In the rapidly redeveloping NoMa neighborhood, one critical ingredient is missing: parks. More than 18,000 people live in greater NoMa, and the population is projected to double in the next 10 years; but currently NoMa contains no publicly accessible parks, playgrounds, or plazas. While the District of Columbia averages 12.9 acres of open space per 1,000 residents, none of these spaces exist in the NoMa neighborhood. They are urgently needed to serve the residents and more than 40,000 daytime employees and visitors to the neighborhood. Undeveloped land is becoming more scarce each year as development occurs on the remaining empty lots. The creation of refreshing, inviting parks and public spaces before it is too late will improve the lives of people in NoMa today and for generations to come. More about the NoMa Parks Foundation can be found at www.nomabid.org/parks.
About NoMa
NoMa is a vibrant, growing neighborhood nestled among Union Station, the U.S. Capitol, Shaw, and the H Street, NE corridor in Washington, D.C. Over the last several years, private developers have invested more than $5 billion in the 35-block area within the NoMa BID boundary, and have plans to develop more than 16 million square feet of additional office, residential, hotel, and retail space. NoMa is home to more than 3,900 new apartments, and more than 40,000 people work in NoMa each day. With unparalleled transportation access via Amtrak, VRE, MARC, two Red Line Metro stops, and vehicular access to Interstate 395, visitors, workers and residents can easily travel throughout the region as well as to New York or anywhere on the East Coast. For more information about NoMa, visit www.nomabid.org and sign up for our bimonthly newsletter.
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For immediate release
News media contact:
Rachel Davis
202-997-3846
[email protected]
Saturday: Join us for the Playable Art Community Meeting
July 19, 2014
Washington, D.C., July 9, 2014 – Join your neighbors this Saturday to give feedback on the type of artistic playgrounds you’d like to see in NoMa! An initial community meeting will be held Saturday, July 12 at 10 AM at Flats 130 apartments at 130 M Street, NE. The meeting will be about a new playable art sculpture in the neighborhood along the Metropolitan Branch Trail between L & M Streets, NE. The NoMa neighborhood has been selected for the Playable Arts DC project (playableartdc.co) to receive an art sculpture that will double as children’s play equipment, and the DC Office of Planning, NoMa BID, and the ANC are collaborating on the project.
An international design competition will take place later this year, with installation in 2016. The process kicks off with this Saturday’s community workshop to allow neighbors, kids, and parents to provide feedback on what kinds of art & play structures they’d like to see here.
Please help spread the word! Coffee and pastries will be provided. Whether you can make it or not, please also participate in the related online survey at https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/PlayableArtDC.
About Playable Art DC
Playable Art DC is a play and place-making initiative of the DC Office of Planning (OP) in partnership with the District Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) to bring innovative art-based play spaces to neighborhoods with underserved park space in the District though an international design competition. Playable Art DC promotes the use of art as a means of creating new types of play spaces in areas that are constrained by space, topography, or other barriers like busy streets. Playable Art DC also seeks to engage the whole community in play as a way to promote fitness and exercise and create community landmarks and neighborhood gathering spots. The initiative is made possible by a grant from ArtPlace America.
Playable Art DC builds on Mayor Gray’s playground improvement initiative—a multi-year citywide play space project to evaluate and improve DPR playgrounds—by providing access to play for neighborhoods identified in the Play DC Vision Framework as not well served by traditional parks and open spaces. For more information about Playable Art DC, please visit: http://playableartdc.org
About NoMa
NoMa is a vibrant, growing neighborhood nestled among Union Station, the U.S. Capitol, Shaw, and the H Street, NE corridor in Washington, D.C. Over the last several years, private developers have invested more than $5 billion in the 35-block area within the NoMa BID boundary, and have plans to develop more than 16 million square feet of additional office, residential, hotel, and retail space. With a capital investment of $50 million from the District government, NoMa will soon have great new parks and public spaces as well. NoMa is home to more than 3,900 terrific new apartments, and more than 40,000 people work here each day. NoMa is the most connected neighborhood in Washington, D.C. With unparalleled transportation access on Amtrak, VRE, MARC, two Red Line Metro stops, and vehicular access to Interstate 395, visitors, workers and residents can easily travel throughout the region as well as get to New York or anywhere on the East Coast. NoMa has a WalkScore of 92 and offers great biking facilities, including three free outdoor air pumps, the East Coast’s only Bikestation, the 8-mile Metropolitan Branch Trail, and seven Capital Bikeshare stations. The NoMa BID organizes more than 50 free award-winning community events each year, connecting more than 20,000 friends and neighbors. For more information about NoMa, visit www.nomabid.org and sign up for our bimonthly newsletter. Follow us on Twitter @NoMaBID and like us on Facebook.
###
For immediate release
News media contact:
Rachel Davis
202-997-3846
[email protected]
Semi-Finalists Announced for the NoMa Underpass Design Competition
June 05, 2014
Washington, D.C., June 5, 2014 – The NoMa Parks Foundation announced this morning the semi-finalists who have been invited to continue on to the next phase of the NoMa Underpass Design Competition.
The competition’s jury is comprised of Elizabeth Broun, the Director of the Smithsonian American Art Museum; architect and columnist Roger Lewis; local artist Robin Rose; George Hemphill, local art curator/gallery owner and founding member of the District of Columbia Arts Center; and Charles “Sandy” Wilkes, Chair of the NoMa Parks Foundation, which is the sponsor of the competition.
“We are delighted to have on our jury such remarkable, highly esteemed individuals who are deeply committed to promoting great art and design in Washington,” said Curtis Clay, Director of Park and Public Realm Development and the design competition project manager.
The underpass competition seeks artists to install interactive installations in four underpasses at L, M, and K Streets, NE, and Florida Avenue, NE. The competition has generated overwhelming interest and excitement since its announcement in April. During the Request for Qualifications (RFQ) phase, the Foundation received 248 submissions from 14 countries, including a strong number of local entries. After a rigorous review, 49 semi-finalists were selected and will now receive the Request for Proposals; they will have four weeks to prepare their responses.
The selected semi-finalists (a) presented a strong capacity to design and execute public art installations, (b) displayed the skill to produce site-specific work conducive to underpasses, (c) have completed work within an established budget and (d) provided clear explanations of their previous work.
“We had high hopes for an excellent response from the international art community but, even so, we were amazed by the extraordinary creativity and strength of the work submitted by various individuals and teams,” said Robin-Eve Jasper, President of the NoMa Business Improvement District, the Foundation’s parent organization. A full list of semi-finalists is provided below:
| Team Name | Location |
| ASC Design Group + Michael Enn Sirvet | Washington, DC |
| Asif Khan Ltd. | London, UK |
| Ball-Nogues Studio | Los Angeles, CA |
| Barbara Grygutis and Copley Wolff Design Group | Tucson, AZ |
| Bill FitzGibbons | San Antonio, TX |
| Citelum US | Washington, DC |
| CLINCH – Nora León, Ben Audrain, Eva Lynch, Boyd Chapman, Jennifer Chen | Washington, DC |
| COCOLAB | Hidalgo, Mexico |
| Corson Studios LLC | Seattle, WA |
| Craig Kraft | Washington, DC |
| Create In Situ- Sarah Zimmer & Kim Brickley | Philadelphia, PA |
| Derek Michael Besant | Calgary, Alberta, Canada |
| Dominic Panziera & Daniela Garofalo, ARTECLETTICA | Truckee, CA |
| Erin Curtis | Washington, DC |
| Future Cities Lab + Jim Campbell + Kreysler Associates | San Francisco, CA |
| Gunda Föerster | Berlin, Germany |
| Integrated Visions + John Ensor Parker | Brooklyn, NY |
| JBAK with Words Beats & Life | Berlin, Germany and Washington, DC |
| Joshua Sarantitis and MIT Media Lab’s Social Computing Group led by Professor Sep Kamvar | Brooklyn, NY and Cambridge, MA |
| Koryn Rolstad Studios | Seattle, WA |
| Krivanek+Breaux/ Art+Design, LLC | Chicago, Il |
| Lancaster Architects + Matthew Schreiber | Brooklyn, NY |
| landscape architects Schønherr A/S and artist Ruth Campau | Copenhagen, Denmark |
| LDVC, Cinimod Studio + TALL | London, UK |
| Leni Schwendinger and Arup team members sound artist Terance Caulkins; lighting designer Christoph Gisel; and civil engineers Tom Kennedy and Hemal Patel | New York, NY |
| LIKEarchitects | Porto, Portugal |
| Marshall Moya Design LLC | Washington, DC |
| Maxx Moses with Words Beats & Life | Washington, DC |
| Mckay Scheer Studio | Washington, DC |
| Mikyoung Kim Design LLC | Boston, MA |
| Narduli Studio + Horton Lees Brogden Lighting Design | Los Angeles, CA |
| NIO Architects and Thurlow Small Architects | Rotterdam, Netherlands and Pawtucket, Rhode Island |
| Omni-Zygo + Omnivore + Popular Architecture | New York, NY |
| Perfect Lighting Solutions | Washington, DC |
| Pernilla Ohrstedt Studios | London, UK |
| PhenomenArts, Inc.-Christopher Janney Artistic Director | Lexington, MA |
| Pixeluman Lab | Alexandria, VA |
| Random International | London, UK |
| Ray King (lead artist) and Duilio Passariello | Philadelphia, PA |
| Re:site (Norman Lee and Shane Allbritton) + Local Projects(Jake Barton) | Houston, TX and New York, NY |
| Reform, LLC and Artist, Robert Kent Wilson | Washington, DC |
| Surface Design Inc. + Nighthouse Studio | San Francisco, CA and Boston, MA |
| Susan Kaprov | New York, NY |
| Synthesis Design + Architecture Inc. (Lead Designer and Architect) + Moritz Waldemeyer (Interactive Design Experience) |
Los Angeles, CA |
| The Yonder Creative Studio + Fresh Concept + Perceptual Engineering | Auckland, NZ |
| Tillett Lighting Design + Benjamin Gilmartin + Eric D. Groft | Brooklyn, NY |
| United Visual Artists(UVA) | London, UK |
| Urban Matter Inc. | Brooklyn, NY |
| Widgery Studio | Cambridge, MA |
This summer, the jury will select the competition finalists. The finalists will receive an honoraria to further develop their proposals, which will be presented to the community, followed by final jury selections. Installation of the winning designs will begin in 2015.
About The NoMa Parks Foundation
The NoMa Parks Foundation was formed in 2012 and the following year received a $50 million commitment from the District government to acquire land, build parks and enhance public space in NoMa.
In the rapidly redeveloping NoMa neighborhood, one critical ingredient is missing: parks. More than 18,000 people live in greater NoMa, and the population is projected to double in the next 10 years; but currently NoMa contains no publicly accessible parks, playgrounds, or plazas. While the District of Columbia averages 12.9 acres of open space per 1,000 residents, none of these spaces exist in the NoMa neighborhood. They are urgently needed to serve the residents and more than 40,000 daytime employees and visitors to the neighborhood. Undeveloped land is becoming more scarce each year as development occurs on empty lots. The creation of refreshing, inviting parks and public spaces before it is too late will improve the lives of people in NoMa today and for generations to come. More about the NoMa Parks Foundation can be found at www.nomabid.org/parks.
About NoMa
NoMa is a vibrant, growing neighborhood nestled among Union Station, the U.S. Capitol, Shaw, and the H Street, NE corridor in Washington, D.C. Over the last several years, private developers have invested more than $5 billion in the 35-block area within the NoMa BID boundary, and have plans to develop more than 16 million square feet of additional office, residential, hotel, and retail space. NoMa is home to more than 3,900 new apartments, and more than 40,000 people work in NoMa each day. With unparalleled transportation access via Amtrak, VRE, MARC, two Red Line Metro stops, and vehicular access to Interstate 395, visitors, workers and residents can easily travel throughout the region as well as to New York or anywhere on the East Coast. For more information about NoMa, visit www.nomabid.org and sign up for our bimonthly newsletter.
###
For immediate release
News media contact:
Rachel Davis
202-997-3846
[email protected]
Deadline for NoMa Underpass Competition is Friday
May 07, 2014
NoMa Parks Foundation To Create Spectacular Art Parks in NoMa Underpasses
WASHINGTON, DC, May 7, 2014 – Calling all artists and designers! Friday is the deadline for qualifications to be submitted for consideration in the NoMa Parks Foundation’s underpass competition. On April 11, the Foundation launched an international design competition to transform four railroad underpasses in NoMa. The long hoped-for initiative will turn the underpasses at Florida Avenue, NE, and K, L and M Streets, NE, into stunning contemporary art installations, and further strengthen east-west connections in NoMa and to Capitol Hill.
Qualifications are due this Friday, May 9, 2014 and will be followed by a formal RFP issued to qualified entrants. Neighborhood residents could begin to see installation start as early as 2015. Details about the competition can be found at www.NoMaUnderpasses.org.
The NoMa Parks Foundation seeks artists and designers who will envision bold, creative and interactive approaches to the underpasses. Finalists will receive stipends to refine their ideas prior to final selection. The selected artists/designers will be responsible for final design and oversight of installation.
About NoMa
NoMa is a vibrant, growing neighborhood nestled between Union Station, the U.S. Capitol, Shaw, and the H Street, NE corridor in Washington, D.C. Over the last several years, private developers have invested more than $5 billion in the 35-block area within the NoMa BID boundary, and have plans to develop more than 16 million square feet of additional office, residential, hotel, and retail space. With a capital investment of $50 million from the District government in 2013, NoMa will soon have great new parks and public spaces as well. NoMa is home to more than 3,900 terrific new apartments, and more than 40,000 people work here each day. NoMa is the most connected neighborhood in Washington, D.C. With unparalleled transportation access on Amtrak, VRE, MARC, two Red Line Metro stops, and vehicular access to Interstate 395, visitors, workers and residents can easily travel throughout the region as well as get to New York or anywhere on the East Coast. NoMa has a WalkScore of 92 and offers great biking facilities, including three free outdoor air pumps, the East Coast’s only Bikestation, the 8-mile Metropolitan Branch Trail, and seven Capital Bikeshare stations. The NoMa BID organizes more than 50 free award-winning community events each year, connecting more than 20,000 friends and neighbors. For more information about NoMa, visit www.nomabid.org and sign up for our bimonthly newsletter. Follow us on Twitter @NoMaBID and like us on Facebook.
###
For immediate release
News media contact:
Rachel Davis
202-997-3846
[email protected]
NoMa Parks Foundation To Create Spectacular Art Parks in NoMa Underpasses
April 14, 2014
WASHINGTON, DC, April 14, 2014 – The NoMa Parks Foundation announces today an international design competition to transform four railroad underpasses in NoMa. The long hoped-for initiative will turn the underpasses at Florida Avenue, NE, and K, L and M Streets, NE, into stunning contemporary art installations, and further strengthen east-west connections in NoMa and to Capitol Hill.
Qualifications are due May 9, 2014 and will be followed by a formal RFP issued to qualified entrants. Neighborhood residents could begin to see installation start as early as 2015. Details about the competition can be found at www.NoMaUnderpasses.org.
“With this enormously exciting project, we envision each NoMa underpass not only becoming an inspiring and engaging space but, together, they will comprise a signature moment in NoMa,” said Charles (Sandy) Wilkes, Chairman of the NoMa Parks Foundation Board of Directors.
By transforming these thoroughfares with a series of interactive design solutions, NoMa will ensure these spaces are vibrant, safe, dynamic and inviting for vehicular, bicycle, and pedestrian traffic moving through the neighborhood. As the NoMa Parks Foundation and the NoMa BID begin to implement projects from the 2012 Public Realm Design Plan, we are closely following the community input that played a strong role in the decision to move this particular project forward.
The NoMa Parks Foundation seeks artists and designers who will envision bold, creative approaches to the underpasses. Finalists will receive stipends to refine their ideas prior to final selection. The selected artists/designers will be responsible for final design and oversight of installation.
This design competition is the first project to be funded by the $50 million grant from the District of Columbia government to improve parks and public spaces in the NoMa neighborhood.
About NoMa
NoMa is a vibrant, growing neighborhood nestled between Union Station, the U.S. Capitol, Shaw, and the H Street, NE corridor in Washington, D.C. Over the last several years, private developers have invested more than $5 billion in the 35-block area within the NoMa BID boundary, and have plans to develop more than 16 million square feet of additional office, residential, hotel, and retail space. With a capital investment of $50 million from the District government in 2013, NoMa will soon have great new parks and public spaces as well. NoMa is home to more than 3,900 terrific new apartments, and more than 40,000 people work here each day. NoMa is the most connected neighborhood in Washington, D.C. With unparalleled transportation access on Amtrak, VRE, MARC, two Red Line Metro stops, and vehicular access to Interstate 395, visitors, workers and residents can easily travel throughout the region as well as get to New York or anywhere on the East Coast. NoMa has a WalkScore of 92 and offers great biking facilities, including three free outdoor air pumps, the East Coast’s only Bikestation, the 8-mile Metropolitan Branch Trail, and seven Capital Bikeshare stations. The NoMa BID organizes more than 50 free award-winning community events each year, connecting more than 20,000 friends and neighbors. For more information about NoMa, visit www.nomabid.org and sign up for our bimonthly newsletter. Follow us on Twitter @NoMaBID and like us on Facebook.
###
For immediate release
News media contact:
Rachel Davis
202-997-3846
[email protected]
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