The government want to create an immersive space that is recognised worldwide as a must go and experience space, making an impact in the heart of London. It should be a statement that celebrates humankind, diversity and the individual, challenging persecution and inequality and inspiring hope.

The location of this memorial is within Victoria Tower Garden adjacent to the Houses of Parliament and the Thames, right in the heart of our democracy. Through this project we are demonstrating our country’s commitment to the victims worldwide, past and present, persecution and inequality while reflecting a sense of hope and future within a design.

It is an opportunity to communicate the importance of standing up to persecution and inequality and the ineffable human and cultural loss to us all – while affirming the UK’s resolve to stand up against intolerance and prejudice, and to be an empathetic society that respects and embraces difference.

Producing a design response to this challenge should include an underground building for an inside museum/ space for art and community projects for the victims worldwide, past and present, persecution and inequality. The design creation should be a place to remember, grieve, celebrate for everyone, creating a pivotal world centre that registers a new future or world order that acknowledges aspects of our human history that deserve a measure of contemplation and understanding, and that recognises a brighter future based on the idea of ‘Hope’ and ‘Resolution’.

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world centre for

humankind

martin donnelly

Context

Aerial view, London surround
Path on the east side, tree line and the Thames
Flat open grass
Playground to South of site

Site Users

  • 30 million visitors to London from other countries each and every year.
  • High population density
  • Diverse city
  • 100s of languages and dialects spoken
  • Nearest station: Westminster Station- North of site

Heritage

Victoria Tower Gardens is Grade II listed on the English Heritage Register of Parks and Gardens. This covers the hard and soft landscaping, as well as the established trees. Victoria Tower Gardens also contains three listed structures: The Burghers of Calais (Grade I); the Statue of Emmeline Pankhurst (Grade II); and the Buxton Memorial (Grade II*). Victoria Tower Gardens also sits within a significant heritage context, including the buffer zone of the World Heritage Site of the Palace of Westminster, and the Westminster Abbey and Parliament Square Conservation Area. A number of important view corridors exist to the Palace of Westminster and Westminster Abbey through Victoria Tower Gardens. These should not be affected by the sitting or height and form of the Memorial.

 
 

Site Uses

  • Eating/Drinking
  • Picnics
  • Meeting
  • Work/Business lunch breaks
  • News reporting

Opportunities and constraints

-News reporting taking place in the site.
- Maintaining at least some views to Westminster.
+St James’ park and Vincent square nearby green space.
+Create a entrance and exit for the below ground building that adds to the story of the design.
+Its triangular shape and trees creates an opening out perspective or a closing in one.
+The Thames to the east creates good views and could determine nice seating area.

+Westminster towers above the garden to the north. This has connotations to power, democracy and can create a dramatic backdrop from the site.
+Heavy pedestrian traffic from north of site, means this can be used to createdirected journey or experience.
+Offer more in the way of vegetation species to boost natural habitats and biodiversity in the area.
+Ability to build down, change heights and levels.

 

Exploration


Inequality, persecution and Hope

Although designing around the three; ‘Inequality, persecution and hope’ it is hard to pull the three apart and interrogate them as their own separate entities. The three intertwine within one another, for when there is inequality and persecution, there will often be hope. This is a brief collection of some of the exploration done in building up ideas. Drawn symbols and words, poetry, and models within this page create a web of thoughts and springboards for ideas. It starts to show this idea of divide of the individual within inequality, to more physical control and manipulation within persecution, and then hope being this escape, or overcoming, where we break away from suppression.

Emergence

Defined as the process of becoming visible after being concealed. Breaking through, away from the suppression of persecution and inequality. This idea is beginning to shape the driving force of this project. Explosions of light and beautiful shapes and forms from rough beginnings. Emergence expresses progression, moving forward from persecution. It moves us out from the suppression, being enclosed within, being denied of liberty, or having no say to the light.

 

Suppression

Enclosed within, You deny us of our liberty, and now we have no say.

We will resalvage our identity And we will break away.

 
The maquette presents the concept of suppression and emergence. Black fabric is placed and glued onto some metallic looking balls placed onto a wooden board. The fabric covers and almost encloses some of these balls- symbols of individuals? Cultures? Moments of persecution or inequality? which then begin to break away, out of this hold that it appears the fabric has on them. What does the maquette look like on a tilt? An up hill struggle of escape, bravery, overcoming this persecution? These balls rolling out the grasp of persecution? This fabric of persecution chasing the balls? Acceleration as these balls have overcome the suppression of persecution and now start to roll forward to their bright futures.
 
 
 
This maquette expresses emergence through this wooden structure almost breaking up through the floor. It emerges through the black fabric tearing its way into the light. Lighting can be added through a hole in the model allowing light to come up through the cracks that the block has made. Perhaps this can be transferred into a design incorporating up-lighting. It helps define the sides of the block and gives an aesthetically positive finish. The maquette also helps represent this idea of beauty and form emerging from the suppression and breaking away. Individuals or groups unique bright nature and personality shining through.
This maquette expresses emergence through this wooden structure almost breaking up through the floor. It emerges through the black fabric tearing its way into the light. Lighting can be added through a hole in the model allowing light to come up through the cracks that the block has made. Perhaps this can be transferred into a design incorporating up-lighting. It helps define the sides of the block and gives an aesthetically positive finish. The maquette also helps represent this idea of beauty and form emerging from the suppression and breaking away. Individuals or groups unique bright nature and personality shining through.
The maquette presents the concept of suppression and emergence. Black fabric is placed and glued onto some metallic looking balls placed onto a wooden board. The fabric covers and almost encloses some of these balls- symbols of individuals? Cultures? Moments of persecution or inequality? which then begin to break away, out of this hold that it appears the fabric has on them. What does the maquette look like on a tilt? An up hill struggle of escape, bravery, overcoming this persecution? These balls rolling out the grasp of persecution? This fabric of persecution chasing the balls? Acceleration as these balls have overcome the suppression of persecution and now start to roll forward to their bright futures.

Manifesto

What is it to be persecuted or a victim of inequality? What is the feeling of being manipulated, moved by a kind of hold, that sometimes cannot even be seen. Our paths, choices dictated by others. Our views dictated by a power, but not ourselves.

And what is the feeling of regaining this liberty, this freedom? The emergence from the darkness, the weight of them being removed?

Design should evoke this feeling of being controlled or enclosed by persecution or inequality while also expressing the feelings of hope and emergence.

I believe it is a duty to give a voice or mark to the victims worldwide, of past and present persecution and inequality. This space should captivate and excite, be a place that takes a stand against the wrongs of the past, highlight the present issues, celebrate diversity and the beauty of every individual and leave visitors hopeful and inspired to make the world more understanding and compassionate to others as they leave to their homes or continue touring London.

Sketching development

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Concept model

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The concept model creates a 3D version of the concept. This plastic ‘fabric’ of persecution creates the main part of the idea. It appears to almost have this grasp on some of the balls as its curves and swings through the site. Its form creates entrances, tunnels and open spaces from all sides, which allow for access from all sides of the site. The emerging balls and people within the site give the design movement and are integral to this emergence concept. Potential building entrances are formed through the curves where no ball is placed anymore, perhaps has already emerged? These entrances
accessed when a person moves under and into the fabric of persecution. Perhaps there are many entrances and exits in this case? Entering in one place of the fabric and getting lost and disorientated within the chaos of persecution, but then emerging back into light somewhere else.

This concept, shape and form is the springboard for the design going forward. It presents the basic idea behind the project and a potential form and shape that creates both static and dynamic spaces, as well as being a very exciting visual design.

Design

Vision

What is it to be persecuted or a victim of inequality? What is the feeling of being manipulated, moved by a kind of hold, that sometimes cannot even be seen. Our paths, choices dictated by others. Our views dictated by a power, but not ourselves.

The designs main aspect is a large physical structure that looks almost as if a large piece of soft fabric was dropped upon to the site and then froze there, containing what laid beneath it. Its creases and wrinkles shaping its form. This structure controls the space, the large spheres and those within it, dictating routes, paths and spaces. The spheres, beautiful, impressive and unique in nature will sit within the fabric breaking away from this suppression. Each one creating individual areas and zones within the place for reflection, admiration and awe.

This constant change in space from more tight enclosed under the fabric, to emerging out into bright open spaces will be an incredible experience for the people who visit this site right in the heart of London. It will be exciting, thought provoking, and definitely one that will stay with you. The design is centred around the idea of the stranglehold and suppression caused by persecution and inequality on groups, cultures and the single individual throughout the past and present.
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Model

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Construction

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