located on the footprint of the old washington d.c. convention center. the site should be a focal point in the city, however it is an under used parking lot. the proposed project for a large urban music park will replace the parking lot that encompasses four city blocks, the proposal will return two city blocks to the grid and maintain one superblock that will be the site for the music park. the massive site is easily accessed from public transportation making it an ideal site for a new landmark in chinatown’s dense commercial district.

the music complex will create a public park in chinatown and will feature a variety of arts related programs including one large seated amphitheater with support spaces, two smaller amphitheaters, a music school, commercial space, and restaurants. the complex needs to be conscious of its surrounding context, particularly metro access, site noise and scale. to become a landmark in chinatown, and the aesthetics should be musical in nature and distinguished from the international style that dominates the area. integrating the whimsical nature of the design with the fluid landscape of the park will be critical to the success of the complex.

the plan is organized by subtle undulations in the landscape that subdivide and create a link throughout complex. the landscape starts on grade with the sidewalk and guides users from the primary access points down a slight slope to the heart of the complex, a large central piazza defined by the dynamic walls that frame the space. from this public space there is access to the music school and main amphitheater. curvilinear forms make up this main space are derived from the whimsical nature of music and tension that is often present in musical pieces. the walls dance with one another and play games as they converge on each other and float away at the same time. the piazza’s the dancing curves appear massive, but on grade they are subordinate to the tress the dominate the park. the amphitheaters are below grade the lush tress provide visual and acoustic buffers to isolate the music park from the city.