Beyond Binaries
White House // Housing & Public
COMPETITION ENTRY: White House Competition
Collaboration with Yiting Zhang, Felix Liu, and Joey Xu
-The Honorable Mention-
“America is characterized by multiple dualities—North vs South, coastal vs inland, urban vs rural, liberal vs conservative, Democratic vs Republican—many of them diametrically opposed.”
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Our proposal, “The New Oval,” combines the Oval—the famous President’s office in the existing building—and the Ellipse—the public park in front of the edifice—rendering it the heart of the plan. This central public space is wrapped around by an ascending ramp—weaving together a southwest wing for public programs and a northeast wing for offices and residences.
The New Oval is a landmark without being a monument. While the President’s residence is transformed by the nation’s term-limited leaders, the public space also incorporates elements of participatory design. A pair of curving, variegated curtain walls symbolize the country’s diverse inhabitants beyond “whiteness,” and a diaphanous canopy above them extends the metaphor of “dwelling together”—signaling that this is not only the headquarters of the nation’s chief executive, but the house of American democracy.