SWA Group has recently announced the approval of The Clearing, the firm’s design for the Sandy Hook Permanent Memorial. The design was selected unanimously by the Sandy Hook Permanent Memorial Commission among 189 international design submissions.
The design’s three hallmarks include "the circle," "the path," and "the tree." A circling network of paths takes visitors through a woodland and meadows. “Our path moves in gentle circles through a flowering woodland which celebrates the lives of the victims, and eventually arrives at a central memorial ‘clearing’ where the community can gather in love for those lost,” said Co-Designer Ben Waldo. “The path has no true beginning or end, which allows visitors to experience the space at their own pace and in their own way, while always bringing them closer together.”
The connecting paths allow the visitor to experience the space in their own way and at their own pace before arriving at the center. The Memorial Clearing is framed by two low stone walls with wood tops and two low stone seatwalls.
A water feature sits in a grand basin at the center of the Memorial. The edge of the feature is engraved with the names of the victims. Water flows inwards toward a planter at the center, where a the “Sacred Sycamore” is planted at the center of the pool, symbolizing the growth of the community.
In addition to SWA Group, the build team also includes JMC (civil engineer), GNBC (structural engineer), Atelier Ten (lighting), Fluidity (water feature design), Artemis (landscape architect), and Centek Engineering (electrical engineer).
The Memorial will sit on a donated five-acre site in Newtown, Conn., with groundbreaking set to take place in August. The project is slated to be complete and open on Dec. 14, 2022, the 10th anniversary of the tragedy.
Related Stories
Architects | Apr 4, 2017
Architect Howard Elkus dies at 78
Cofounder of Elkus Manfredi Architects, his career spanned five decades, and included a spectrum of major design projects.
Building Team | Apr 4, 2017
Dispelling five myths about post-occupancy evaluations
Many assume that post-occupancy (POE) is a clearly-defined term and concept, but the meaning of POE in practice remains wildly inconsistent.
Structural Materials | Apr 3, 2017
Best of structural steel construction: 4WTC, Fulton Center, Pterodactyl win AISC IDEAS2 Awards
The annual awards program, sponsored by the American Institute of Steel Construction, honors the best in structural steel design and construction.
Green | Mar 29, 2017
Copenhagen Zoo and BIG unveil yin yang-shaped panda habitat
The new habitat will sit between two existing buildings, including the Elephant House designed by Norman Foster.
Architects | Mar 28, 2017
A restroom for everyone
Restroom access affects everyone: people with medical needs or disabilities, caretakers, transgender people, parents with children of the opposite gender, and really anyone with issues or needs around privacy.
High-rise Construction | Mar 27, 2017
Density and tall buildings
CRTKL’s Maren Striker examines Europe’s desire to build upward.
Architects | Mar 9, 2017
Watch Frank Lloyd Wright and Buckminster Fuller discuss architecture in animated video shorts
Given more time, Wright wanted to rebuild the country and change the nation.
Architects | Mar 6, 2017
Demolished Frank Lloyd Wright buildings get new life with photorealistic renderings
Architect David Romero recreated the Larkin Administration Building and the Rose Pauson House with detailed, fully colored renderings.
Building Team | Mar 6, 2017
AEC firms: Your website is one of the most important things you'll build
Don’t believe it? You’d better take a look at the research.