Among the previously selected 30 semifinalist projects submitted to the “Memorials for the Future” design competition, organized by Washington, D.C.’s National Park Service (NPS), the National Planning Commission (NCPC), and New York’s Van Alen Institute, four have been selected as finalists to potentially be realized within the nation’s capital. Launched back in October, the program aims to rethink how we experience and conceptualize memorials. Rather than constructing a permanent edifice, which could potentially become socially stagnant for future generations, the strategy is to create a project that looks to the future, and will remain relevant.
According to the 11-person jury, the following selections were deemed most ideal for public spaces and changing the urban fabric within or near D.C.’s National Mall:
“American Wild: A Memorial,” by Forbes Lipschitz, Halina Steiner, Shelby Doyle, Justine Holzman
Projecting images of the country’s 59 national parks onto architect Harry Weese’s award-winning design for the Washington, D.C. Metro, “American Wild: A Memorial,” provides a digitally rendered natural environment in direct contrast to the concrete that transit users are used to being surrounded by.
National Park Service
“The IM(MIGRANT) : Honoring the Journey,” by Radhika Mohan, Sahar Coston-Hardy, Janelle L. Johnson, Michelle Lin-Luse
To better understand the experience of immigrants, the designers conceived an urban planning project that relies on movement and media. The streetscape for which this is slated, near Randle Circle, includes a series of bus stops that play podcasts recounting oral stories of immigrants.
National Park Service
"Climate Chronograph," by Erik Jensen
“Climate Chronograph,” by Erik Jensen and Rebecca Sunter
The project proposes a landscaped area with cherry trees planted along its circumference. As sea levels rise, the plants will die in respresentation of the displacement of people due to climate change.
National Park Service
“VOICEOVER,” by Anca Trandafirescu, Troy Hillman, Yurong Wu, Amy Catania Kulper
By collaborating with a team of geographers and historians, the designers wish to create a curated oral archive of visitors stories that would narrate the significance of locations and landmarks across the city.
