Dupont Underground Competition, Washington DC

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MACRO scale

The aim of “People made Dupont” design proposal is to represent the neighborhood community and highlitght the historical role of Dupont Circle as a place of minorities’ struggle for emancipation. Therefore we have chosen to leave free interpretation to those who live here providing a customizable space that the user can licteraly shape according to personal attitudes and mindset.

Actually the Circle doesn’t fit the people need for protest and representation due to the disjunction from the city and the public space unsuitableness.
Bringing back an equipped and accomodating large open space is a crucial part of the restyling process. It’s about designing a multipurpose model that can fulfill these functions whitout denying the original nature of a place and its long-established dynamics. The clash of different needs brings to life the most correct solutions for the use of a strong identity place that is not afraid to turn into something more appropriate according to its context.

However, Dupont Circle is not just an undefined rotary to be converted into a pedestrian square.

The vision we propose doesn’t claim to eliminate the traffic, as it is a functionally indispensable infrastracture, rather it seek to mediate between the city and the square itself. This is the basic design cornerstone of our design effort in attempt to operate a functional and formal reconnection between the square and the community it serves.

MICRO scale

The micro presents two main problems: first of all, its location makes it difficult to recognize the structural connection between the square and the entrance of Dupont underground; secondly, the area surrounding the micro and its design are not optimal and prevent its full functionality.

To tackle the first problem, we decided to create a bidimensional sign on the ground connecting the square and the entrance: graffiti will be created on the portion of asphalt between the micro and the macro, which evokes the community theme exposed in the macro concept. We have chosen bidimensionality since it allows an evident connection in visual terms without limiting the functionality of the roadway.

The second problem concerns the conformation of the micro and the specific area in which it is located.
Firstly, the staircase is exposed to the elements and the entrance of the Dupont underground galleries to people has a poor visibility. For these reasons we decided to create a curved glass roof supported by a partially concrete structure on the side facing the road and glass and steel on the sidewalk side.
The particular curved shape serves to distinguish this entrance as a landmark among the others nearby. In addition, we have chosen to make a concrete structure because it partially dampens traffic noise and represents a space on which to post information boards on the programs of the events.

Thanks to it, a future inclusion of a ADA chair lift is also possible.

The area surrounding the entrance is not functional as it is partially encumbered by a private space (Starbucks). The space dedicated to the passage between the current railing and the private area is minimal so we decided to resize the private area in favor of more public space.