KCCT’s “Street Shadows” Receives Honorable Mention in ShadeDC Design Competition

KCCT is proud to announce that the concept “Street Shadows,” led by Colin Murray has received Honorable Mention in the Washington Architectural Foundation’s ShadeDC Competition, and is featured in the fall issue of ArchitectureDC. The challenge invited architects and designers to address one of Washington, DC’s persistent urban issues: the lack of pedestrian shade on the city’s bridges during the hot summer months.

This year’s challenge focused on the Duke Ellington Bridge in Ward 1, tasking participants with creating a flexible, beautiful, and easily maintained shade system that could transform the pedestrian experience while enhancing the bridge’s architectural character.

Murray developed the concept for “Street Shadows” using the distinctive grid and axial patterns of the historic L’Enfant Plan as a conceptual framework for a dynamic shading device. The design reinterprets the geometry of Washington’s streets as overlapping layers of shadow, creating a strong sense of place while offering functional respite from the sun.

“We used L’Enfant’s sacred geometry as structure, and shading relief is designed to be an experiential technique that also provides a sense of place as you traverse along the Duke Ellington Bridge,” said Murray.

Axon Parti

KCCT congratulates all the teams recognized in this year’s competition and remains committed to advancing context-driven, human-centered design solutions that enrich Washington, DC’s built environment.