The state of Minnesota selected LEO A DALY to design the new Minnesota Fallen Firefighters Memorial on the State Capitol grounds to honor the sacrifice of Minnesota firefighters killed in the line of duty.
The approximately 6,000-square-foot memorial incorporates several distinctive design features within a landscaped garden and paved assembly area. The main focal point is a large monolith supported by a grid of steel columns that houses the Minnesota Fire Service Memorial Statue. This bronze, figurative sculpture of a firefighter rescuing a child, which is currently on display at the Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport, is lit by natural light through a circular void in the monolith.
The monolith is made of weathering steel, which over time rusts to form a protective coating. The organizing grid of 100 potential pavilion columns embodies a repeating century of years – 10 decades by 10 years per decade. Currently, an incomplete constellation of 83 columns are mapped on the grid, recording the years in which Minnesota firefighters have died in the line of duty. The names of each of Minnesota’s fallen firefighters are inscribed on the columns. The design allows for new columns to be added onto the grid for additional inscriptions in the future.
Also, the memorial ground rises to present approaching visitors with a wall inscribed with names of the 791 fire departments throughout the state. The site’s landscaped garden and paved area provides a space for quiet reflection and contemplation, and also serves as the ceremonial location for large annual memorial services.
Construction of the $500,000 memorial, which was completely funded by Minnesota’s firefighters, will begin in May 2012 and completed by September 2012. BD+C
Related Stories
| Aug 18, 2014
SPARK’s newly unveiled mixed-use development references China's flowing hillscape
Architecture firm SPARK recently finished a design for a new development in Shenzhen. The 770,700 square-foot mixed-use structure's design mimics the hilly landscape of the site's locale.
| Aug 18, 2014
Seaside luxury: Arquitectonica, Melo Group introduce Aria on the Bay condo tower in Miami
Melo Group has launched sales for Aria on the Bay, its new 647-unit luxury condominium in Miami. The bayfront condo will overlook Margaret Pace Park, Biscayne Bay and the Miami Beach skyline.
Sponsored | | Aug 16, 2014
Fire-rated framing system makes the grade at Johnson & Wales University Center
The precision engineering of TGP’s Fireframes Aluminum Series creates narrow profiles and crisp sightlines at Johnson & Wales University Center for Physician Assistant Studies
| Aug 16, 2014
Decoupling the professional services firm
Business consultant Tim Williams authored a recent LinkedIn post that highlights the emerging trend among professional services firms toward “decoupling,” or consciously separating the high-value services that are scarce from the low-value services that are plentiful. SPONSORED CONTENT
| Aug 16, 2014
The science of learning: Designing the STEM learning facilities of the future
New technology and changing pedagogies are influencing how to best teach a generation of learners who have never known a world without smartphones or tablets, writes HOK's Kimberly Robidoux.
| Aug 16, 2014
Calatrava in hot water again? Famed architect charged to appear in court in Spanish construction case
The Valencia High Court has requested documents detailing how Calatrava was hired in private, without any publicity, for a convention center project in Castellon. For contracts over a certain minimum value, that is illegal in Spain.
| Aug 15, 2014
First look: RMJM’s 'jumping fish' tower design for the Chinese Riviera
The tower's fish-jumping gesture is meant to symbolize the prosperity and rapid transformation of Zhuhai, China.
| Aug 15, 2014
Periscope structure gives public toilet an unobstructed sea view
Polish architect Adam Wiercinski designs a public toilet with a periscope mechanism that gives visitors unobstructed views of the sea.
| Aug 14, 2014
8 do's and don'ts for completing an HVAC life cycle cost assessment
There are many hurdles to overcome when completing a life cycle cost assessment. RMF Engineering’s Seth Spangler offers some words of advice regarding LCCAs.
| Aug 14, 2014
Life cycle cost analysis using energy modeling
A life cycle cost analysis helps a school district decide which HVAC system to use in $198 million worth of future building projects.