The Future of the RFK Stadium-Armory Campus by OMA

Events DC, the official convention and sports authority for the District of Columbia, announced on Monday evening, the details of two conceptual plans for the 190-acre RFK Stadium-Armory Campus site, with design concepts by OMA New York, led by partner Jason Long, in partnership with DC-based program management team, Brailsford & Dunlavey. Located in the Southeast corridor of the District, the transformational vision for the iconic RFK Campus delivers holistic concepts for the site that leverage the District’s waterfront, provide neighborhood serving amenities and connect the current site with increased and sustainable green space, flexible recreational fields and natural access to pedestrian-friendly paths. The conceptual planning effort also envisions phasing the implementation of short-term and long-term program elements for the site.

Site plan. RRFK Stadium-Armory Campus concept by OMA. Image © courtesy of OMA.

“After extensive planning, outreach, public input and involvement, the entire Events DC board and staff are so proud to present these two conceptual plans for the RFK Stadium-Armory Campus,” said Max Brown, chairman of the Board of Directors for Events DC. “Our vision for the Campus’ future –which is aligned with community wants and needs - is to create a special and amazing place that celebrates the District of Columbia’s beauty and history – while also acting as a shining example of urban living that can attract residents and visitors, while at the same time, maintain the rich and strong local identity that currently is appreciated and valued by all of us.”

Events DC, in collaboration with OMA New York and Brailsford and Dunlavey, participated in a series of stakeholder and community engagement sessions that focused on capturing input on a new urban vision for the 190-acre Campus surrounding the historic RFK Stadium, Festival Grounds and the DC Armory. The site benefits from its positioning adjacent to the National Mall axis, prominent neighborhoods and its access to a waterfront gateway along the Anacostia River which has been underutilized for decades.

“The conceptual plans we have unveiled present a once in a lifetime opportunity to reimagine the 190-acre site in a way that delivers an amenity for everyone. It also has the ability to create another vibrant destination within Washington, DC for residents and visitors to enjoy,” said Gregory A. O’Dell, president and chief executive officer of Events DC. “Our conceptual plans aim to provide accessibility across the Campus’ unique topography and access to nearby waterways while creating dynamic open space.”

The conceptual plans are represented through two design concepts (a) North-South Axis and (b) Stitch, each illustrating a different configuration or layout of the site. These design concepts offer two alternative approaches to addressing parking, infrastructure and road network, pedestrian connections, site conditions and program placement.

Within both the North-South Axis and Stitch design concepts, there are three anchor tenant scenarios: (a) 20k Seat Arena, (b) NFL Stadium, and (c) No Anchor. All three scenarios reflect a phased approach intended to provide short-term programming elements that will immediately activate the site with uses that will serve the community. Such short-term program uses, which exist in both the North-South Axis and Stitch design concepts, include sport, recreation, culture and park space.

The long-term opportunities for the North-South Axis and Stitch design concepts offer an extension of all of the program elements delivered in the short-term, plus additional long-term program elements, inclusive of an anchor tenant and the related supporting site and infrastructure enhancements.

Jason Long, OMA New York’s partner-in-charge, commented, “Our goal for both design concepts is to reconnect the Campus to existing neighborhoods to the north and south, to bring the District closer to the Anacostia waterfront and to transform the site from a space designed for watching sports, dominated by asphalt, into a new gateway to DC that elevates public health with diverse recreational programming. Both concepts provide a strategy for revitalizing the Campus’ identity from passive space to active place and transform its urban character from pavement to park.”

Read less

Diagram. RFK Stadium-Armory Campus concept by OMA. Image © courtesy of OMA.

"Stitch". Overview of the esplanade. RFK Stadium-Armory Campus concept by OMA. Image © courtesy of OMA.

"Stitch". RFK Stadium-Armory Campus concept by OMA. Image courtesy and © OMA

"Stitch". Overview of the esplanade. RRFK Stadium-Armory Campus concept by OMA. Image © courtesy of OMA.

"Stitch". RRFK Stadium-Armory Campus concept by OMA. Image © courtesy of OMA.

"Stitch". NFL stadium. RRFK Stadium-Armory Campus concept by OMA. Image © courtesy of OMA.

"Stitch". NFL stadium anchor. RRFK Stadium-Armory Campus concept by OMA. Image © courtesy of OMA.

"Stitched-Stitch". Axonometric in sketch. Ideas for the RFK Stadium-Armory Campus by OMA. Image © courtesy of OMA.

"Stitch". RRRFK Stadium-Armory Campus concept by OMA. Image © courtesy of OMA.

"Stitch". Night view from North. RRFK Stadium-Armory Campus concept by OMA. Image © courtesy of OMA.

"North-South Axis". Overview of the esplanade. RRFK Stadium-Armory Campus concept by OMA. Image © courtesy of OMA.

"North-South Axis". RRFK Stadium-Armory Campus concept by OMA. Image © courtesy of OMA.

View more images

Metalocus recommends

Dome by Tadao Ando for Antony Gormley, Museum San. Photograph by MAG PR & Image

Tadao Ando completed a new space dedicated to Gormley's work

Aerial view of LACMA buildings, including David Geffen Galleries in context of Miracle Mile. Photograph by Iwan Baan, courtesy of LACMA

LACMA, designed by Peter Zumthor, is scheduled to open in 2026

"Casa Feliz" by Conjuntos Empáticos. Photograph by Estudio Balloon (Javier de Paz)

A house to grow and laugh. "Casa Feliz" by Conjuntos Empáticos

More information

OMA. Office for Metropolitan Architecture

Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA) is an international practice operating within the traditional boundaries of architecture and urbanism. AMO, a research and design studio, applies architectural thinking to domains beyond.

OMA is led by eight partners – Rem Koolhaas, Reinier de Graaf, Ellen van Loon, Shohei Shigematsu, Iyad Alsaka, Chris van Duijn, Jason Long, and Managing Partner-Architect David Gianotten – and maintains offices in Rotterdam, New York, Hong Kong, Doha, and Australia. OMA-designed buildings currently under construction are the renovation of Kaufhaus des Westens (KaDeWe) in Berlin, The Factory in Manchester, Hangzhou Prism, the CMG Times Center in Shenzhen and the Simone Veil Bridge in Bordeaux.

OMA’s completed projects include Simone Veil Bridge in Bordeaux (2024), LANTERN in Detroit (2024), Mangalem 21 in Tirana (2023), Aviva Studios – Factory International in Manchester (2023), Apollolaan 171 in Amsterdam (2023), Buffalo AKG Art Museum in Buffalo (2023), Toranomon Hills Station Tower in Tokyo (2023), Taipei Performing Arts Centre (2022), Audrey Irmas Pavilion in Los Angeles (2020), Norra Tornen in Stockholm (2020), Axel Springer Campus in Berlin (2020), MEETT Toulouse Exhibition and Convention Centre (2020), Galleria in Gwanggyo (2020), WA Museum Boola Bardip (2020), nhow RAI Hotel in Amsterdam (2020), a new building for Brighton College (2020), and Potato Head Studios in Bali (2020). Earlier buildings include Fondazione Prada in Milan (2018), Garage Museum of Contemporary Art in Moscow (2015), De Rotterdam (2013), CCTV Headquarters in Beijing (2012), Casa da Música in Porto (2005), and the Seattle Central Library (2004).

AMO often works in parallel with OMA's clients to fertilize architecture with intelligence from this array of disciplines. This is the case with Prada: AMO's research into identity, in-store technology, and new possibilities of content-production in fashion helped generate OMA's architectural designs for new Prada epicenter stores in New York and Los Angeles. In 2004, AMO was commissioned by the European Union to study its visual communication, and designed a colored "barcode" flag, combining the flags of all member states, which was used during the Austrian presidency of the EU.

AMO has worked with Universal Studios, Amsterdam's Schiphol airport, Heineken, Ikea, Condé Nast, Harvard University and the Hermitage. It has produced Countryside: The Future, a research exhibited at Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York; exhibitions at the Venice Architecture Biennale, including Public Works (2012), Cronocaos (2010), and The Gulf (2006); and for Fondazione Prada, including When Attitudes Become Form (2012) and Serial and Portable Classics (2015). AMO, with Harvard University, was responsible for the research and curation of the 14th Venice Architecture Biennale and its publication Elements. Other notable projects are Roadmap 2050, a plan for a Europe-wide renewable energy grid; Project Japan, a 720-page book on the Metabolism architecture movement (Taschen, 2010); and the educational program of Strelka Institute in Moscow.

Office for Metropolitan Architecture OMA, New York

Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA) is a leading international partnership practicing architecture, urbanism, and cultural analysis. OMA's buildings and masterplans around the world insist on intelligent forms while inventing new possibilities for content and everyday use. OMA is led by ten partners – Rem Koolhaas, Ellen van Loon, Reinier de Graaf, Shohei Shigematsu, Iyad Alsaka, David Gianotten, Chris van Duijn, Ippolito Pestellini Laparelli, Jason Long and Michael Kokora – and maintains offices in Rotterdam, New York, Beijing, Hong Kong, Doha and Dubai.

Responsible for OMA’s operations in America, OMA New York was established in 2001 and has since overseen the successful completion of several buildings across the country including Milstein Hall at Cornell University (2011); the Wyly Theater in Dallas (2009); the Seattle Central Library (2004); the IIT Campus Center in Chicago (2003); and Prada’s Epicenter in New York (2001). The office is currently overseeing the construction of three cultural projects, including the Musée National des Beaux-arts du Québec and the Faena Arts District in Miami Beach – both scheduled for completion in 2016 – as well as a studio expansion for artist Cai Guo Qiang in New York. The New York office has most recently been commissioned to design a number of residential towers in San Francisco, New York, and Miami, as well as two projects in Los Angeles; the Plaza at Santa Monica, a mixed use complex in Los Angeles, and the Wilshire Boulevard Temple.

OMA New York’s ongoing engagements with urban conditions around the world include a new civic center in Bogota, Colombia; a post-Hurricane Sandy, urban water strategy for New Jersey; the 11th Street Bridge Park and RFK Stadium-Armory Campus Masterplan in Washington, DC; and a food hub in West Louisville, Kentucky.