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Finalists emerge to redesign National Mall sites

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Finalists emerge to redesign National Mall sites

David McFadden | architects, architecture, architecture critic | April 09, 2012

Existing Mall

Lakeside gardens, dining rooms hovering over water, grassy new amphitheaters and underground pavilions at the foot of the Washington Monument have emerged as finalists in a design competition to overhaul neglected sites on the National Mall.

Designers and architects are dreaming big for a chance to improve the place sometimes called America’s front yard. One vision calls for a garden “museum without walls” in part of the mall called Constitution Gardens. Another would “peel up” the landscape of the Washington Monument to reveal a theater and visitor amenities below ground.

The Associated Press had an exclusive early look at the results of a competition conducted by the nonprofit Trust for the National Mall. The finalists’ concepts will go on display Monday through Sunday at the Smithsonian Castle and National Museum of American History.

The Stage II Finalists of the National Mall Design Competition

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After working at various design practices full-time and freelance and starting his design firm, David McFadden saw a gap in the industry. In 1984, he created an expansive hub for architects and hiring firms to sync up, complete projects, and mutually benefit. That hub was Consulting For Architects Inc., which enabled architects to find meaningful design work while freeing hiring firms from tedious hiring-firing cycles. This departure from the traditional, more rigid style of employer-employee relations was just what the industry needed – flexibility and adaptation to current work circumstances. David, Founder, and CEO has successfully advised his clients and staff through the trials and tribulations of four recessions – the early '80s, early '90s, early 2000s, the Great Recession, the pandemic, and the current slowdown caused by inflation and high interest rates.