Almost 100 entries from 26 countries vying for the honour of designing the new National Memorial to the Holocaust have been whittled down to a final ten.
The shortlisted design teams include some of the most internationally renowned architects and artists, including Turner Prize winner Sir Anish Kapoor who is working with Zaha Hadid Architects.
The teams are now invited to submit designs for the memorial, which is planned to be built next to Parliament, in Victoria Tower Gardens.
The international design competition, announced by Prime Minister Theresa May in September, will create a new national landmark, demonstrating a commitment to honouring the victims and survivors of the Holocaust, providing a place for quiet reflection as well as a focal point for national commemorations.
The memorial could also include a learning centre depending on technical, financial, planning and other constraints.
The proposed learning centre will contain recordings of testimony from British Holocaust survivors and camp liberators, including unheard stories recorded as part of the government’s initiative to ensure survivors who have never spoken out before have the opportunity to record their memories.
The designs will be judged by a jury of high-profile figures in British politics, culture, architecture and religion, including Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government Sajid Javid, Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, the Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis, television producer Sir Peter Bazalgette and broadcaster Natasha Kaplinsky.
Chair of the UK Holocaust Memorial Foundation Sir Peter Bazalgette said: “These teams are challenged with creating a vision for the memorial which sensitively reflects the loss of life and humanity during the Holocaust. But it must also speak to everyone, with an unwavering commitment against all hatred and intolerance. The design will inspire people of all ages and backgrounds to commemorate and learn.”
Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis said: “The new national memorial to the Holocaust will be an enduring symbol of the UK’s absolute commitment to Holocaust education and to challenge hatred wherever we find it. The quality of the shortlisted design teams leaves me in no doubt that the eventual winner will rise to the tremendous responsibility of appropriately capturing these commitments.”
An exhibition of the designs will be held in central London and locations around the UK from January 2017. They will also be available to view online. The winning team will be announced later in the spring.
The ten finalists are: Adjaye Associates (UK) with designer Ron Arad Associates; Allied Works (US) with artist Robert Montgomery; Caruso St John (UK) with artist Rachel Whiteread; Diamond Schmitt Architects (CA) with landscape architect Martha Schwartz Partners; Foster + Partners (UK) with artist Michal Rovner; heneghan peng architects (IE) with multidisciplinary designers Bruce Mau Design; John McAslan + Partners (UK) with emerging US practice MASS Design Group; Lahdelma & Mahlamäki Architects (FI) with UK based David Morley Architects; Studio Libeskind (US) with emerging UK practice Haptic Architects; and Zaha Hadid Architects (UK) with artist Anish Kapoor.
