Cast Your Vote for the UK Holocaust Memorial Design Competition
04/16/2017
Curators’ Corner
In September 2016, the UK Holocaust Memorial Foundation partnered with the Department for Communities and Local Government to launch an international design competition inviting people to submit their visions on how they would like victims and survivors of Nazi tyranny to be honored. The winning design will sit aside the Houses of Parliament in Victoria Tower Gardens, adjacent to the River Thames.
“Envisaged as a place for everyone to come to remember the Holocaust, as well as a focal point for annual national commemorations, the Memorial will affirm the United Kingdom’s commitment to stand up against prejudice and hatred. It is intended to inspire reflection and compassion, and encourage present and future generations to respect and embrace difference,” reads the Memorial's website.
The competition was broken into two stages, with the initial call for Expressions of Interests from multi-disciplinary teams of architects, designers, landscapers, and artists closing in October 2016. A shortlist of ten teams was then invited to develop and display their concepts in exhibitions held in London and around the U.K. in late January 2017. The impressive list includes design teams from England, Ireland, Finland, Canada, the U.S., and Israel.
“Of the ten finalists, several designs feature an unassuming memorial aboveground, while belowground the space dramatically expands into a comprehensive learning center. According to the competition organizer, Malcolm Reading, education is a central theme for the project,” The Huffington Post wrote.
As the designs are mulled over, the government-led Memorial Foundation has invited people worldwide to share their thoughts and pick their favorite. The feedback received will be considered by the jury that will eventually cast the final vote on the winning design in Summer 2017.
Check out the ten shortlisted teams below, and be sure to cast your vote for the U.K. Holocaust Memorial design that moves you most.
