Commanders, architects show how new D.C. stadium will look

The Washington Commanders and architectural firm HKS on Thursday released renderings of the stadium the team is building in the District.

As opposed to open-air Northwest Stadium in Landover, Maryland, the new stadium will have a transparent roof, higher on the north-south axis and sloping lower along the east-west axis to maintain views of the U.S. Capitol and other monuments.

Images released by the team show that the stadium will have a colonnade, similar to the Lincoln Memorial and the Supreme Court building.

Rooted in memory, propelled by state-of-the-art design

The first look at our new home pic.twitter.com/ceI14Tqs3z

— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) January 15, 2026

The new stadium, which the Commanders want to be built by 2030, will sit on the site of the former RFK Stadium.

HKS Global Venues Director Mark Williams said in a statement, “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. … The stadium design will be a bold civic landmark that carries the city’s architectural legacy.”

Enclosing the stadium with a roof could help Washington secure the right to host a future Super Bowl.

The NFL requires cities wanting to host its title game to have an average temperature of 50 degrees Fahrenheit or more in the month leading up to the game. Cold-weather cities are eligible if they have a closed stadium, according to The Athletic.

The 2014 Super Bowl at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey defied the temperature rule because it was in the lucrative New York City market.

HKS has built a number of other NFL stadiums: AT&T Stadium used by the Dallas Cowboys, U.S. Bank Stadium used by the Minnesota Vikings, SoFi Stadium used by the Los Angeles Rams and Chargers and Lucas Oil Stadium used by the Indianapolis Colts.

Commanders President Mark Clouse said in the statement, “We’re designing a stadium that amplifies the energy of football, supports year-round events and becomes a place the community can be proud of. We look forward to hearing feedback from our community as the design continues to evolve.”

The design will also receive feedback from the federal government, including the Commission of Fine Arts and the National Capital Planning Commission.

National Capital Chairman Will Scharf said at a meeting last month that he wants the stadium to include “classical, neoclassical elements that will align it with the capital that it will essentially overlook,” according to the Washington Business Journal.

The planned colonnade is reminiscent of the elements that Mr. Scharf described.

The Commanders also envision the new stadium as an anchor for mixed-use development in the surrounding areas of the city. Between the stadium and the commercial and residential buildings that would be built near it, the project is expected to cost at least $3.8 billion, according to The Athletic.