Beyond Granite Design Competition for a new temporary outdoor commemorative installation in Washington, DC has been announced by The National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC) and the General Services Administration (GSA). The design competition and resulting installation are intended to enhance a prominent but underutilized public space in the city’s monumental core while fostering public dialogue regarding the nature of commemoration in the nation’s capital.

“The commemoration of our country’s historic leaders, events and ideas is an issue of national and long-standing significance,” noted NCPC Executive Director Marcel Acosta. “As one of the agencies involved with reviewing proposals for new memorials in the nation’s capital, NCPC is excited to be exploring a new and innovative form of commemoration that has the potential to enrich Washington’s cultural landscape, while relieving pressure on the National Mall to accommodate new permanent memorials.”

NCPC and GSA invite artists and/or design professionals, working as individuals or teams, to propose ideas for an innovative temporary commemorative work that embodies the competition’s commemorative theme—the founding principles and positive impact of Earth Day, the world’s largest civic observance. The proposed site for the temporary installation is the Ariel Rios Hemicycle, a grassy semi-circle along the west side of 12th Street, NW between Pennsylvania and Constitution Avenues in the heart of Washington’s Federal Triangle. The site is near the headquarters of the Environmental Protection Agency.
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