With Washington Commanders Stadium, OJB Creates Space for All

Washington Commanders Stadium concept design, Washington, D.C. / OJB Landscape Architecture

By Jared Green

"We envision a stadium in a park. The landscape has to provide a community-wide benefit - a better experience for everyone," said Jim Burnett, FASLA, founder of OJB Landscape Architecture.

OJB has released conceptual designs for an 18-acre landscape that will frame the new Washington Commanders stadium in southwest Washington, D.C.

The landscape will provide valuable new green space to the community, elegantly weaving in natural systems that reduce heat, capture stormwater, and provide habitat for the city's wildlife. It will also create stronger connections to a nearby Metro station and prioritize access for pedestrians and cyclists.

Washington Commanders Stadium landscape plan, Washington, D.C. / OJB Landscape Architecture

The new 20-acre stadium, which will arise from the RFK stadium site, has been designed by architect Lance Evans at HKS to accommodate more than 70,000 fans. It is part of a much larger $3.8 billion, 180-acre redevelopment project that will include new housing, offices, retail, hotels, sports facilities, streets, and parks. When fully realized, the new community is expected to provide 5,000 to 6,000 homes, including 1,500 to 1,900 affordable ones. The developers have stated at least 30 percent of the site will be green space.  

The RFK stadium sat empty for eight years until it was demolished in 2025. It was surrounded by a sea of cracked concrete parking spaces, used for the occasional festival and farmers market. It is hard to imagine a better alternative than transforming all that heat-amplifying space into multi-use, cooling parkland.

At the west end of the stadium, East Capitol Street will be reimagined, becoming a 3-acre "festival plaza" that preserves existing oak trees and adds new native and climate-resilient trees and plants, lawns, play areas, and bioswales.

The new trees will bring more shade to the neighborhood. The city reached record highs of 115°F last summer and energy costs in the district have increased by 93 percent over the past five years, making air conditioning increasingly unaffordable for many residents of southwest and southeast D.C. Shade will help ensure that "on off-days in the summer, when there are no games, it will still be the community's park. Comfort is paramount."

Festival plaza at Washington Commanders Stadium on a non-game day, Washington, D.C. / OJB Landscape Architecture

From the festival plaza, OJB has woven in a set of step terraces and ramps leading up to the stadium. The steps themselves "serve as an incline park - a place to have a coffee or picnic."

East end of the Washington Commanders Stadium, Washington, D.C. / OJB Landscape Architecture

Flanking the stadium's northern and southern sides are entry plazas and "sponge-like" stormwater management systems that will include native plants. The northern side also includes more lawns. At the eastern edge, there is more space for tailgating and access to the Anacostia River.

Eastern edge of Washington Commanders Stadium, Washington, D.C. / OJB Landscape Architecture

OJB designed the entire landscape to be "responsive" to the city and environment. It will cool the community in summer and provide views in winter. An extensive tree canopy and bioswales will manage water throughout the site, and underground cisterns will collect runoff from the 20-acre stadium roof for reuse in the landscape. The water system supports the trees and plants, which in turn will draw in birds and pollinators. "A goal of ours is to support the biodiversity of southwest D.C.," Burnett said.

The site has also been thoughtfully designed to provide access for pedestrians, cyclists, and vehicles. Existing pedestrian tunnels that take visitors under C St and Independence Ave to the stadium will be retained and improved. Many of the new entry experiences will be more like a promenade.

Redesigned entry promenade at Washington Commanders Stadium, Washington, D.C. / OJB Landscape Architecture

Burnett said a goal of the broader development planning and design team, which is led by Perkins Eastman with Gensler, is to "tame vehicle traffic in the community" so that it feels more like a neighborhood. "Less highway and more city streets," he said. Bike access is also a priority of the planning team.

Throughout the community planning process, Burnett heard from the developers and the D.C. community that they want an "intelligent campus that respects the environment, provides space for native species, and supports a range of sports and other activities. So we thought it was important to design with nature."

Note: OJB Landscape Architecture was recently acquired by Populous, a global design firm that "specializes in sport, entertainment, and large-scale public assembly venues."