Portfolio / Kennedy Center Site Model in Basswood

Located along the banks of the Potomac River just north of the Lincoln Memorial, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts is both a memorial to President Kennedy as well as one of the most active performing arts and arts education centers in the United States. For the first major expansion in its history, Steven Holl was selected to design the expanded campus in order to provide new performance areas, rehearsal rooms, lecture halls, classrooms, event spaces, and informal gatherings areas. Holl’s design preserves the silhouette of the existing Edward Durell Stone building, while adding three pavilions spread across a site that will reconnect to the Potomac River.

Given the importance of the landscape for programming as well the goal of reconnecting the Kennedy Center to the waterfront, we were asked to fabricate a large site model that spanned from the existing building to the Roosevelt Bridge, and between the Potomac and the adjacent I-66. First, we created a large panel from solid basswood. The site was then cut from the basswood panel using our CNC router. A separate basswood piece was also cut to serve as the Roosevelt Bridge. In addition to this basswood model, we also created a version of the same site made from high-density polyurethane foam.

Images of the finished site model with buildings provided by Steven Holl Architects.