Tag: monuments-and-memorials | ArchDaily

Lebanon's World Heritage Sites Endangered Amid Ongoing War

Antonia Piñeiro — Tue, 02 Jun 2026 08:00:00 +0000

Following over two years of systematic destruction of life, habitat, and essential facilities in the Gaza Strip, a new front of war in Southwest Asia was announced on February 28th, 2026. Since then, US-Israeli military attacks have had a human and infrastructural impact on Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, and Jordan. In the months since, the attacks have only intensified, reaching the deepest ground advance into Lebanese territory in 26 years and leading to mass displacement in the southern part of the country. This latest stage of the conflict marks the sixth Israeli invasion of Lebanon since 1978, resuming a nearly 50-year history of Israeli military interventions in the country. While a ceasefire agreement was supposed to take effect on 27 November 2024 and expire on 2 March 2026, evidence of the destruction of towns and World Heritage Sites shows that it was never truly respected. UNESCO has consistently issued condemnations of "unlawful attacks against cultural property," the latest one responding to the "ongoing escalation of hostilities" on May 29th, 2026.

Foster + Partners Wins Competition to Design the National Memorial to Queen Elizabeth II

Antonia Piñeiro — Tue, 24 Jun 2025 05:30:00 +0000

Foster + Partners has won the competition to design the national memorial to Queen Elizabeth II. In February 2025, five finalist teams were selected by the Queen Elizabeth Memorial Committee to develop a master plan honoring and celebrating the late Queen. The memorial aims to provide visitors with a space for reflection in London's St James's Park, a site of historical and constitutional significance. Foster + Partners' winning proposal features a new bridge inspired by the Queen's wedding tiara, a Prince Philip Gate, and new gardens. The design will continue to be developed until April 2026.

Oshinowo Studio Reveals Design for New Commonwealth War Graves Memorial Honoring Sierra Leone’s WWI Carrier Corps

Antonia Piñeiro — Tue, 20 May 2025 05:30:00 +0000

Lagos-based architects Oshinowo Studio have revealed a new memorial design commissioned by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) to honor the fallen of the Sierra Leone Carrier Corps during World War I. The design is an intervention into the existing Freetown Memorial, built in 1930 and designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens.

Interfaith Spaces: Architectural Responses to Religious Diversity

Diogo Borges Ferreira — Fri, 27 Dec 2024 04:00:00 +0000

In an increasingly diverse world, the emergence of multi-faith spaces represents a significant shift in architectural design, reflecting the evolving religious landscape of contemporary society. These spaces, which began to be formally established in the 1950s in public buildings like airports and hospitals, serve as microcosms of social transformation and peaceful coexistence. They allow various traditions to harmoniously share environments, embodying principles of inclusivity, flexibility, and adaptability.

Kengo Kuma Named New Lead Designer for Global War on Terrorism Memorial in Washington, D.C.

Nour Fakharany — Mon, 07 Oct 2024 05:30:00 +0000

In a surprising development, internationally renowned architect Kengo Kuma has been named the new lead designer for the highly anticipated Global War on Terrorism Memorial on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. The announcement follows the departure of previous designer Marlon Blackwell, who was originally selected in July 2023.

Remembering 9/11: The Story of Rebuilding the World Trade Center

Maria-Cristina Florian — Wed, 11 Sep 2024 07:30:00 +0000

On the morning of September 11, 2001, two hijacked commercial jetliners struck the Twin Towers in Lower Manhattan, a third plane struck the Pentagon, and a fourth crashed in rural Pennsylvania. A total of 2.977 people were killed in the terrorist attacks. In the face of this unprecedented loss, the city of New York promised to rebuild Lower Manhattan as a lively neighborhood while honoring and maintaining the memory of this day. Thus began one of the largest reconstruction projects in New York City, a process that is still ongoing now, 23 years after the tragedy.

Studio Libeskind Reveals Design for the Memorial at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh

Maria-Cristina Florian — Tue, 12 Dec 2023 06:30:00 +0000

Studio Libeskind, working in close partnership with the Memorialization Working Group, has unveiled the preliminary design for the memorial for the 11 killed on 27 October 2018 at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, United States. The design was developed in a process led by the victims’ families, communal leaders, and concretional representatives. The building’s official groundbreaking is expected in 2024.

Los Angeles Selects Finalists to Design a Memorial to the Victims of the 1871 Chinese Massacre

Maria-Cristina Florian — Wed, 25 Jan 2023 06:30:00 +0000

The city of Los Angeles has selected six finalists for the competition to design a new memorial dedicated to the victims of the 1871 Chinese Massacre. In one of the darkest chapters in the city’s history, on 21 October 24, roughly ten percent of the city’s Chinese population at the time, at least 18 residents, were murdered by a mob of rioters. The memorial seeks to raise public awareness of the 1871 racially motivated mass killing while simultaneously addressing contemporary concerns regarding race, intolerance, and violence. The memorial was first announced in April 2021, and it is set to be built near the site of the massacre and the Chinese American Museum.

Monumental Question: How Are the Places of Memory in the Future of Cities?

Victor Delaqua — Wed, 10 Aug 2022 05:00:00 +0000

What is the story that your city's public space tells? Who are the people honored in monuments scattered throughout it? Issues like these have led to a series of insurgencies in recent years in several cities. The notions of memory and representation have expanded the reflection on which narrative we build in our spaces, a fact that has triggered an urban question for the future: after all, what do we want to remember (or forget) through the symbols that we rise (or destroy) in cities?

Homomonument: The Importance of a Representative Space in the City

Victor Delaqua — Tue, 28 Jun 2022 07:30:00 +0000

While walking through the city, have you ever felt afraid to be yourself? As strange as the question may sound to some, it is a reality for most LGBTQIA+ people, who at some point have been victims of hostility when they were noticed performing outside the "heteronormative standards" of public spaces. If violence comes from social layers that go beyond the designed space, this does not exempt the importance of thinking about projects that can integrate the physical sphere and insert a symbolic or representational factor to include and educate its citizens. This is the case of Homomonument, which for more than three decades, has become a platform for queer celebration and protest in the heart of Amsterdam.

“Thunderhead” Announced as Winning Proposal for Canada’s LGBTQ2+ National Monument

Dima Stouhi — Mon, 28 Mar 2022 06:30:00 +0000

Canada’s Department of National Heritage, along with the Minister of Canadian Heritage Pablo Rodriguez, Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth Marci Ien, as well as the LGBT Purge Fund have unveiled “Thunderhead” as the winning concept of Ottowa's LGBTQ2+ National Monument competition. The winning design symbolizes a thunderhead cloud, which embodies the "strength, activism and hope of LGBTQ2+ communities, and will be a lasting testimony to the courage and humanity of those who were harmed by the LGBT Purge, homophobic, and transphobic laws and norms".

Changing the Paradigms of Memorialization: the Ongoing Story Behind the Babyn Yar Holocaust Memorial Center

Christele Harrouk — Wed, 16 Feb 2022 07:30:00 +0000

Babyn Yar, a ravine in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, witnessed the killing of more than 33,000 Jewish men, women, and children, on September 29 and 30, 1941. The site of one of the largest single massacres perpetrated by occupying German troops against Jews during World War II, Babyn Yar became a symbol of the Holocaust by Bullets.

Adjaye Associates Reveals Conceptual Design for the Martyrs Memorial in Niamey, Niger

Christele Harrouk — Mon, 19 Oct 2020 05:30:00 +0000

Adjaye Associates has recently designed a project in Niamey, Niger to honor all those that lost their lives in the fight against terrorism on the country’s southern and western borders. The Martyrs Memorial is in fact “tangible documentation of the continuous fight against extremist entities and the soldiers who have fallen in the process”.

Frank Gehry's Eisenhower Memorial Finally Set to Open

Eric Baldwin — Wed, 16 Sep 2020 05:00:00 +0000

Over two decades in the making, Frank Gehry's design for the Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial in Washington, D.C. will finally open to the public this Friday. A tribute to the 34th President of the United States, the memorial was commissioned by Congress in 1999 to honor the legacy of the World War II Supreme Allied Commander. Eisenhower is well known for leading the invasion of Normandy, a turning point in the war, and for serving two terms as President of United States.

A COVID-19 Memorial Could Capture the Passions Coursing Through American Society

Clifford Pearson — Mon, 07 Sep 2020 03:30:00 +0000

With a complex debate underway about monuments and the way we engage history, we should start thinking about a COVID-19 Memorial. Yes, I know we are in the middle (or is it still the start?) of this pandemic, but the intensity of the moment might actually help us envision what such a memorial could be. Instead of waiting for a time when we have more distance from our current catastrophe, we should capture the passions coursing through society right now.

World’s First Large-Scale COVID Memorial Designed for Victims of the Pandemic

Eric Baldwin — Wed, 19 Aug 2020 05:00:00 +0000

Architecture firm Gómez Platero has designed a new memorial to honor those affected by COVID-19. Sited in Uruguay, the monument is made to be an expression of hope in an uncertain time. As the first large-scale monument to the worldwide victims of the COVID-19 pandemic, the project is called the "World Memorial to the Pandemic." It aims to be a space for mourning and reflection that's environmentally conscious and emotionally impactful.

Eastern Bloc Architecture: Monumental Museums & Memorials

Dima Stouhi — Wed, 29 Jul 2020 03:30:00 +0000

This article is part of "Eastern Bloc Architecture: 50 Buildings that Defined an Era", a collaborative series by The Calvert Journal and ArchDaily highlighting iconic architecture that had shaped the Eastern world. Every week both publications will be releasing a listing rounding up five Eastern Bloc projects of certain typology. Read on for your weekly dose: Monumental Museums and Memorials.

Status, Statues, and Statutes: The Issue With Monuments to Flawed Men

Mark Alan Hewitt — Fri, 17 Jul 2020 03:30:00 +0000

This article was originally published on Common Edge.