HKS releases first design of colonnaded Washington Commanders Stadium

[Celerity]

https://www.dezeen.com/2026/01/15/washington-commanders-stadium-hks-nfl/



Architecture studio HKS and NFL team the Washington Commanders have revealed images of a "monumental" stadium wrapped in a colonnade, set to be built in Washington, DC. With a capacity of more than 70,000, the Washington Commanders Stadium at the RFK Campus was designed by HKS to be monumental, both in its sheer size and impact on the Washington DC skyline. It will be wrapped in a white colonnade that recalls the city's civic monuments including the Lincoln Memorial.



According to the team, it was designed with respect to the layout of Washington DC – known as the L'Enfant Plan – with deference to the Capitol Building and the RFK Stadium that is currently on the site. "Every design decision is guided by the significance of place – shaped by its local, regional and national history and generations of memories rooted in RFK Stadium," said HKS global venues director Mark A Williams. "Monumental in presence, grounded in the L'Enfant Plan and scaled to the urban fabric of the district, the stadium design will be a bold civic landmark that carries the city’s architectural legacy forward in a way that is confident, dynamic and unmistakably Washington, DC."



Positioned on a roundabout interchange adjacent to the Anacostia River and the parklands of the RFK Campus, the stadium will have a cable-net, anti-clastic glass roofing system. The shape of the roof "establishes a dynamic yet respectful profile rising to welcome visitors from the north and south while maintaining a lower presence along the east–west axis in deference to the US Capitol and monuments," according to HKS. The sleek column system will stand in front of large expanses of glass. Around the roofline, the columns will intersect with a massive bezel-like form that lines the rim of the bowl. The columns will be most likely be made from coloured concrete. Renderings show a potential lantern-like effect at night, given the large amounts of glass used for the facade treatment.



At the primary entry points on the east and west side, the bowl will dip down to compress a wide glass-fronted entryway. Within the stadium, the field will be sunk meaning visitors enter at a higher plane, similar to Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. This entrance will sit on a plinth, reminiscent of other civic buildings in Washington DC. Hardscape surrounding the stadium will allow for pre-game gatherings and other public events, and the renderings show millions of square feet of development, laid out to adhere to the Perkins Eastman masterplan of the RFK campus, which connects to the river.

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