Water Taxi Terminal
Overview
This project proposes a water taxi terminal along the Potomac River at the Tidal Basin, positioned between the Lincoln Memorial and the Jefferson Memorial. The design responds to its monumental context by organizing pathways and entry sequences in alignment with the memorials, framing movement as a processional experience rather than a singular destination. Inspired by shipbuilding techniques, the terminal is conceived as a series of modular sections assembled linearly, allowing structure, program, and circulation to unfold incrementally. Materiality, light, and sectional articulation reinforce a low-profile presence that integrates the terminal into the landscape while maintaining a strong relationship to the water.
Sketches
These sketches document a range of investigations from site-scale relationships to material-scale detail. Early drawings explore the alignment of the water taxi terminal within the Tidal Basin and its spatial relationship to the Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials, establishing pathways and orientation within the larger memorial landscape. Subsequent sketches examine circulation, sectional flow, and the sequencing of spaces through the terminal as visitors move from land to water. The studies conclude with detailed explorations of material connections, translating the project’s shipbuilding-inspired sectional logic into specific structural and tectonic relationships.
Final Render
The project was further developed through detailed 3D modeling in Rhino, allowing for precise control over geometry, sectional relationships, and circulation. The digital model was used to refine the transition from the surrounding sidewalk onto the terminal platform, clarifying changes in elevation, threshold conditions, and the sequence of movement from land to water. Enscape was used to render the project with an emphasis on spatial accuracy, lighting, and material behavior. The renderings articulate how material choices—wood decking at the platform, a robust concrete structural base, a steel framing system, and a polycarbonate outer shell—reinforce the terminal’s tectonic logic and shipbuilding-inspired sectional assembly.
