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
| May 16, 2012
AIA issues guide to IGCC
Getting the IgCC adopted in all 50 states and in jurisdictions across the country is the primary mission of the ICC, which published the code in March.
| May 16, 2012
Architecture Billings Index reverts to negative territory
Decline is possibly a brief pause from unusually strong winter activity.
| May 16, 2012
AEG releases 3D video of L.A.'s Farmers Field
The Los Angeles Convention Center footage depicts the new convention center hall spaces, including a new lobby above Pico Boulevard, pre-function space, and what will be the largest multi-purpose ballroom in Los Angeles.
| May 16, 2012
Balfour Beatty Construction taps Kiger as VP of operations
Kiger will manage current relationships and pursue other strategic clients, including select healthcare clients and strategic project pursuits in the Central Tennessee region.
| May 15, 2012
One World Trade Center goes to new height of sustainability
One of the biggest challenges in developing this concrete mixture was meeting the Port Authority of New York/New Jersey’s strict requirement for the replacement of cement.
| May 15, 2012
Suffolk selected for Rosenwald Elementary modernization project
The 314-student station elementary school will undergo extensive modernization.
| May 15, 2012
Don’t be insulated from green building
Examining the roles of insulation and manufacturing in sustainability’s growth.
| May 15, 2012
National Tradesmen Day set for Sept. 21
IRWIN Tools invites the nation to honor "The Real Working Hands that Build America and Keep it Running Strong".
| May 15, 2012
SAGE Electrochromics to become wholly owned subsidiary of Saint-Gobain
This deal will help SAGE expand into international markets, develop new products and complete construction of the company’s new, state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Faribault, Minn.
| May 14, 2012
Codes harvest rainwater
IAPMO’s Green Plumbing and Mechanical Code Supplement could make rainwater harvesting systems commonplace by clearly outlining safe installation and maintenance practices.
