Home | Newsletter | Advertise
loading...

AIA Exhibit Offers Futuristic Vision for Dupont Underground

  • August 2, 2019

by Nena Perry-Brown

Schematic of Dupont Underground. Click to enlarge.

Each year, the American Institute of Architects mounts a digital "Emerging Professionals Exhibit." This year, one of those exhibits centers around envisioning an equitable design approach to the Dupont Underground.

Dupont Underground is an abandoned trolley tunnel-turned-arts space and performance venue which runs beneath Dupont Circle, having been given a facelift and returned to use over the past 4.5 years.

Dupont Underground rendering at nexus of south tunnel and west platform. Click to enlarge.

The "DuPont Underground Uncovered For All" exhibit highlights renderings from architects Nick Cooper, Will Hinkley, and Jeannine Muller, which intend to "weave" various narratives of the space and its neighborhood together to offer a more creative and visually striking experience. The designs were created four years ago before the Underground was opened to the public and depict various points within the system, as well as a conceptual idea to soften and introduce green space and multimodal pathways spanning part of the Connecticut Avenue underpass.

"By using the conceptual framework of weaving, we will provide the DuPont neighborhood with a cultural destination that can educate, organize, and inspire both residents and visitors of all backgrounds ethnicity and beliefs," the exhibit reads. "Programmatic elements of a museum, educational initiative, and art exhibition space will weave together the various identities that embody DuPont’s unique cultural heritage." 

Being that the current lease for the Dupont Underground expires next spring, it will be interesting to see how or whether the space continues to evolve for future use. Meanwhile, the city is moving forward with plans to create an activated deck spanning part of the Connecticut Avenue underpass. Additional renderings are below.

All renderings credited to Nick Cooper, AIA, Will Hinkley, and Jeannine Muller, Assoc. AIA

Rendering of exhibit space in south tunnel. Click to enlarge.
Underpass rendering. Click to enlarge.

This article originally published at http://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blog/aia-exhibit-offers-equitable-futuristic-vision-for-dupont-underground/15736

DC Real Estate Guides

Short guides to navigating the DC-area real estate market

We've collected all our helpful guides for buying, selling and renting in and around Washington, DC in one place. Visit guides.urbanturf.com or start browsing below!

First-Timer Primers

Intro guides for first-time home buyers

Red Flags Revealed During a Home Inspection Top 5 Tax Breaks For Homeowners Tax Relief for DC Homeowners
Condo Fee Tutorial What is a Rent Back? 10 Ways To Tell If a Home Renovation is Well Done
Obtaining a Basic Business License For Your Rental What is an Adjustable Rate Mortgage? The Splitting the Rent Formula
How Much Cash Do You Need to Buy a House? Is This Condo Building Financially Healthy? Interest Rates and Mortgage Points
The Scoop on Mortgage Insurance

Unique Spaces

Awesome and unusual real estate from across the DC Metro

The Most Intriguing Loft in DC The R Street Firehouse DC’s One-Room House
Dupont Circle’s Old Frat House To Become Alley Home Best Transition From a Garage To a Home The Roundhouse
Tilden Gardens Restaurant-Turned-Home Hits Market Next Week Logan Circle’s Most Intriguing Garage Frank Lloyd Wright Goes Green in Kensington
Sears Bungalow Gets a Modern Makeover Old Town General Store Becomes Three-Level Home Making the Most of a Skinny House
A Studio 27 Renovation on Capitol Hill Once a Carriage House, Now a Home The Bank that Became a Home
From Pie to Hooch to Heroin to Home The Live-Aboards of Gangplank Marina A Treehouse with Rock Creek Park As A Backyard
Modern Tranquility in Sperryville Saddle Up For Stable Living Throwing a Curve at 550 Square Feet
A Modern Hilltop Retreat Tilden Street Restaurant Becomes Spacious Home Focus on Design: A Vastu Unit at 22 West
The DC Area’s First Net Zero Home A Yankee Goes Green DC’s First Carbon Neutral Home
Eco-Friendly Alley House Off H Street The Gym, The Stables and The Firehouse