Sited on axis with Nationals Park, the Navy Yard, and Yards Park in Washington DC, this is the first stage of a three-phase redevelopment plan that transforms a former concrete plant into a riverfront destination. The area will comprise office, retail, residential, and hotel development, a marina, and gardens and trails integrated into the 28-mile-long Anacostia Riverwalk system.

The landscape of the mixed-use Dock 79, completed in 2016, celebrates the riverfront while it amplifies the site’s unique cultural and natural contexts. With plazas, a promenade, outdoor dining terraces, and intimate spaces, the OCULUS scheme creatively accommodates both public and private functions.

Smartly-designed open spaces sustain ecosystem services and welcome recreational and leisure activities. An expansive bio-filtration garden densely vegetated with native plants absorbs stormwater and removes pollutants before they can enter the Anacostia River. Evoking the industrial heritage of the site, a gabion wall stabilizes the river’s edge. Amphitheater style seating and stairs intermingled with native plants frame exceptional views of the Anacostia.

Fronting National’s Park, a vibrant public plaza includes a beer garden, ping-pong tables, an interactive water feature, custom furniture, and a steel sculptural element. A wood esplanade adjacent to the stone-paved plaza unites Dock 79 with the adjacent Diamond Teague Park. OCULUS developed the full build-out master plan as well as all the design and construction documents for phase one of Dock 79.

Phase Two of the design is currently underway.