Kengo Kuma Associates and K2LD Architects have won the competition to design the new Singapore Founders Memorial. Selected from 193 submissions, the project is made to honor Singapore’s first Prime Minister, Lee Kuan Yew, as well as those leaders that played significant roles in the city-state’s path to independence. The jury unanimously selected the winning design for its response to the brief and site, emphasizing Singapore as a “City in a Garden” while allowing for future growth.
All five shortlisted designs were showcased at various locations island wide and online as part of the Founders’ Memorial Design Showcase. Over 50,000 responses were garnered, and this feedback was provided to the Jury Panel for their consideration in the evaluation of the designs. The Jury Panel chose the winning design by Kengo Kuma & Associates and K2LD Architects as it stood out as a site-specific design that best encapsulates the aspirations of the design brief. As the jury staeted, "its organic form creates a welcome counterpoint to the domes of Gardens by the Bay. It represents a bold and imaginative new type of memorial which rises out of the landscape." They added that, "The design has great potential to provide multi-layered experiences for all visitors in its blending of external and internal spaces."
Kengo Kuma said that, “Our design concept for the Founders’ Memorial originates from the idea of a path – a journey tracing the legacy of Singapore’s founding leaders. It simultaneously honours the past, and inspires the present and future. The design aims to be a ‘living memorial’, to be owned by each new generation of Singaporeans. There will be ample spaces for the celebration of milestone events, all set against the changing skyline of Singapore.”
Mr Lee Tzu Yang, Chairman of the Founders’ Memorial Committee, said: “The winning design is sensitive and functional, and embodies the spirit and values of Singapore’s founding team of leaders. It is a unique design, incorporating landscape and architecture, that brings visitors on a journey of discovery. The jury also noted that the winning design proposal is strong in meeting the required technical and functional criteria – for example, good accessibility and integration with Bay East Garden, connectivity to various transportation nodes, thoughtful layout of spaces and visitor flow, relatively easy to construct and to maintain, and adaptable to future programming and activities.”
Following the announcement of the winning design, Kengo Kuma & Associates and K2LD Architects will be commissioned to develop the design of the Founders’ Memorial with the National Heritage Board and Gardens by the Bay. The construction works for the memorial are expected to commence in 2022, and the Founders’ Memorial is expected to be completed by 2027.
