MH17 MEMORIAL + PARK COMPETITION

An international open ideas competition for young architects and students was initiated to remember and honour the victims of the MH17 tragedy, which has happened over the skies of Ukraine. This man-made tragedy has influenced thousands of lives in direct or indirect manner across the entire world. This architectural competition aimed to explore and research possible themes and directions of the Memorial representation and its integration into the public space.

 

Amsterdam is widely known as the “Venice of the North”. Inspired by the river canals of Amsterdam and Italo Calvino’s seminal work, Le citta invisibili, we wish to express the water as a mirror of physical and spiritual reflection, and to transform the water into a different form as our flickering memories of the past, present and the future.

 

Our scheme, entitled “neverwhere” (from Neil Gaiman’s book), is a maze-like citadel consisting of 298 prime numbered floating squares. A prime number, in mathematics, has no positive divisors other than 1 and itself. Prime numbers 2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 17, 19, 23, 29, 31, etc. are used for spatial and functional hierarchy, and to represent the lost souls in the MH17 tragedy.

 

The larger squares are identified as architectural spaces, but majority of the squares are of 2m x 2m and 3 m x 3m that serve as humidifiers and water fountains. Humidifiers will transform liquid river water to mist cloud. This is used to define the site boundaries, while creating a poetically ethereal yet eerily atmospheric experience. There are various translucent boxes above water as display pavilions, but equally below water as their mirroring reflections. This is our idea of two worlds: of life and death; of past and future; of pain and courage; of loss and hope.

 

IJmeer River represents the flowing bloodstream that carries our physical bodies and our emotional souls. Crossing the bridges of the “neverwhere”, we hope to narrow the differences and spaces between us. Let the healing works begin!

 

Status: Competition Entry

Value: Undisclosed

Area: Undisclosed

Client: matterbetter