This commission dates to the late 1970’s, when a severe winter decimated much of the existing landscape and OvS was invited to reimagine this public space in the middle of the Nation’s Capital.

The Virginia Avenue Gardens appear at grade but are actually over-structure, one of the first such design applications in Washington, DC. Their lush meadow-like compositions are eye-catching, especially for a site in the middle of the city. They feature sweeps of perennials set in contrast to trees and grasses. The trees offer shade, soften the visual impacts of the adjacent buildings, and provide transition in scale to the urban surroundings on the five acre corporate campus. Open spaces function as sculpture gardens that serve as a public destination for active and passive recreation. The gardens provide visual contrasts throughout the year: displays of bulbs in spring, grasses that change the scale of the site in summer, and bouquets of dried perennials and golden sprays in winter. OvS monitors the gardens continuously, designed post-9/11 improvements for perimeter site security, and is currently engaged in the rehabilitation of different precincts of the project.