Figure 1: View seen from weat side looking towards East River
Clouds AO has been selected as one of four finalists for the Post 9/11 Fallen Service Member Memorial design competition organized by the City of New York. The design envisions to create a place that honors all the Service Members perished in the Global War on Terrorism. It is conceived of as space that tells stories of their priceless contributions and collective memories, and is composed with two spiral walls connected at top to symbolize embracement and eternity. Seen from various orientations, the form changes constantly to inspire various meanings.
Figure 2: View seen from path along the Little Bay Park
Figure 3: View looking up at the base of memorial
The memorial is proposed on the east side of entry plaza to Little Bay Park in New York to allow space for gathering and ceremonies, at the same time creating a space with sense of privacy in public realm. The walls are positioned in point symmetry which face cardinal orientations. The walls follow surface of cylinders that are tilted and interlocked, providing geometrical purity. Central axis of cylinders creates upward release, whereas symmetric form imply imaginary bottom to pierce into the ground to anchor the piece to homeland.
Figure 4: Site Plan
Figure 5: Geometric concept and Elevation
Figure 6: Scale model seen from north side
Figure 7: Scale model seen from east side
Inside walls, each Service Members is honored on walls with their unique individual portrait, name and other facts on 9"x11" stainless steel plaque. Portrait artworks and texts are cutout to allow natural and illumination lights to pass through to bring them to life. The portraits highlight personal aspects in dignified and clear line which become the heart of the memorial.
Figure 8: View inside the memorial walls
Figure 9: Details of individual Portrait Plaques (note: portrait images and names are imaginary for samples)
Figure 10: View at night, the memorial will be illuminated with uplights as an icon at the edge of East River that can be viewed from various vantage points.
Location: Queens, NY
Date: November 2024
Project Team:
Design Architect: Clouds Architecture Office
Project Designers: Masayuki Sono, Ostap Rudakevych