In celebration of the united strength of the American people during WWI, the World War I Memorial Gardens honor the heroes at home, as well as the heroes who served. In planting an active and inviting urban landscape in the heart of the Nation’s capital, the Memorial Gardens pay tribute to Americans’ wartime support through their creation of victory gardens during WWI, which was the first modern war in which citizens came together to contribute to its effort. The site’s new undulating topography simultaneously evokes, in reverence, the terrain of trenches, where so many lost their lives.
The Memorial Gardens are maintained by select communities across the Nation, bringing people together once more to commemorate World War I through active participation. As a continually transformative landscape, the Gardens will change color and texture throughout the seasons. The spaces carved from between the Gardens provide moments of respite for visitors, as well as casual use by locals.
The terrain is open along its southern edge and gently slopes up to the north, where the axiality of Pennsylvania Avenue is highlighted by a honed concrete and glass structure that shelters a farmer’s market, and offers space for gathering and events. The use of structural glass embodies both strength and weightlessness, retaining a transparency across the site and towards the surrounding urban context, while an elevated terrace overlooks the landscape, framing views of three of the capital’s icons.
Client: The World War I Centennial Commission
Program: Cultural, Plaza, Pavilion
Status: Complete
Size: 225,000 SF
Location: Washington, D.C.
Team:
Architect: KM,A (Kyle May)
Images: KM,A