A seven-person jury representing the Jewish Community of Bologna, Italy, has chosen Rome-based SET Architects as the winner of a competition to design a Holocaust memorial in Bologna.
According to a posting on Facebook, the jury evaluated 284 entries, which were whittled down to five finalists. The jury reconvened at the Bologna Association of Architects offices on June 29 to chose the winning design, which is called Shoah Memorial.
ArchDaily reports that the design—which is dominated by two large metal monolithic structures (10x10-meter, or around 33x33 feet, according to SET’s entry)—is a representation of oppressive wooden bunks in concentration camps in Germany during World War II. The blocks are trapedzoidal, with the small sides 1.3-meters and 1.8 meters respectively.
To create a sense of claustrophobia and imprisonment, the space separating the two structures starts at 1.5 meters (4.9 feet) and narrows to 50 centimeters (1.6 feet).
The stone and metallic paving that surrounds the structures is designed to evoke the railways used to transport Jews to the camps. The structures will also amplify outside sounds that are meant to accentuate a sense of anguish.
The memorial will be placed within a new square, located near a high-speed train station. “It is important to understand the relationship with the urban context,” SET states in its submission. “The result is an area which is not designed for any specific functions, inclined to a new identify yet to be shaped and opened to the passage of people.”
SET Architects’ team members on this entry are Onorato di Manno, Andrea Tanci, Gianluca Sist, Lorenzo Catena, and Chiara Cucina. An exhibition will display the project’s details at an awards presentation on September 6. The memorial will be inaugurated on January 27, 2016.
The Jewish Community of Bologna has set memorial project’s budget at 120,000 Euros (about US $169,000).
Related Stories
| Aug 11, 2010
Best AEC Firms of 2011/12
Later this year, we will launch Best AEC Firms 2012. We’re looking for firms that create truly positive workplaces for their AEC professionals and support staff. Keep an eye on this page for entry information. +
| Aug 11, 2010
Clark Group, Mortenson among nation's busiest state/local government contractors, according to BD+C's Giants 300 report
A ranking of the Top 40 State/Local Government Contractors based on Building Design+Construction's 2009 Giants 300 survey. For more Giants 300 rankings, visit /giants
| Aug 11, 2010
Call for entries: Building enclosure design awards
The Boston Society of Architects and the Boston chapter of the Building Enclosure Council (BEC-Boston) have announced a High Performance Building award that will assess building enclosure innovation through the demonstrated design, construction, and operation of the building enclosure.
| Aug 11, 2010
Portland Cement Association offers blast resistant design guide for reinforced concrete structures
Developed for designers and engineers, "Blast Resistant Design Guide for Reinforced Concrete Structures" provides a practical treatment of the design of cast-in-place reinforced concrete structures to resist the effects of blast loads. It explains the principles of blast-resistant design, and how to determine the kind and degree of resistance a structure needs as well as how to specify the required materials and details.
| Aug 11, 2010
Jacobs, CH2M Hill, AECOM top BD+C's ranking of the 75 largest federal government design firms
A ranking of the Top 75 Federal Government Design Firms based on Building Design+Construction's 2009 Giants 300 survey. For more Giants 300 rankings, visit http://www.BDCnetwork.com/Giants
| Aug 11, 2010
Manhattan's Pier 57 to be transformed into cultural center, small business incubator, and public park as part of $210 million redevelopment plan
LOT-EK, Beyer Blinder Belle, and West 8 have been selected as the design team for Hudson River Park’s Pier 57 at 15th Street and the Hudson River as part of the development group led by New York-based real estate developer YoungWoo & Associates. The 375,000 square foot vacant, former passenger ship terminal will be transformed into a cultural center, small business incubator, and public park, including a rooftop venue for the Tribeca Film Festival.
| Aug 11, 2010
Gensler, HOK, HDR among the nation's leading reconstruction design firms, according to BD+C's Giants 300 report
A ranking of the Top 100 Reconstruction Design Firms based on Building Design+Construction's 2009 Giants 300 survey. For more Giants 300 rankings, visit http://www.BDCnetwork.com/Giants
| Aug 11, 2010
Bowdoin College Museum of Art
Brunswick, Maine
Since its founding in 1794, when what is now the state of Maine was still part of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Bowdoin College has played a pivotal role in the educational and cultural life of Maine. Contributing to that role for more than a century has been the Walker Art Building, an 1894 McKim, Mead & White-designed structure and home to the college’s Museum of Art.
