modern memorials

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Contemporary Memorial DesignA Closer Look at Modern Memorials

By Pavel Petrov

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A CLOSER LOOK AT MODERN MEMORIALS

CONTEMPORARY MEMORIAL DESIGN

World Gardens_LA 424

Dr. Susan Mulley

March 20th, 2009

BY PAVEL PETROV

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

TITLE PAGE

TABLE OF CONTENTS

LIST OF FIGURES

INTRODUCTION

VIETNAM VETERANS MEMORIAL - HISTORICAL PRECEDENT

OKLAHOMA CITY NATIONAL MEMORIAL - CASE STUDY

MEMORIAL TO THE MURDERED JEWS OF EUROPE - CASE STUDY

WORLD TRADE CENTER MEMORIAL - CASE STUDY

CONCLUSION

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Contemporary Memorial Design

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4-5

6-8

9-14

15-19

20-24

25-26

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IMAGE CREDITCover Lee Sandstead. http://sandstead.com/images/washington/vietnam_veterans_memorial/LIN_Maya_Vietnam_Veterans_Memorial_ded_Nov_1982_source_sandstead_d2h_09.jpg

Title Page Lee Sandstead. http://sandstead.com/images/washington/vietnam_veterans_memorial/LIN_Maya_Vietnam_Veterans_Memorial_ded_Nov_1982_source_sandstead_d2h_05.jpg

http://okc.about.com/od/imageandphotogalleries/ig/OKC-National-Memorial-Pics/MemorialBEF1.htm

http://www.shtetlinks.jewishgen.org/Yurburg/Berlin.html

http://architecture.about.com/od/worldtradecenter/ig/World-Trade-Center-Plans/

1 Navy Petty Offi cer 2nd Class Molly Burgess. http://www.defenselink.mil/dodcmsshare/photoessay/2007-05/hires_1v.jpg

2 Lee Sandstead. http://sandstead.com/images/washington/vietnam_veterans_memorial/LIN_Maya_Vietnam_Veterans_Memorial_ded_Nov_1982_source_sandstead_d2h_13.jpg

3 http://www.smugmug.com/gallery/6497212_dKDBk#412996874_Faehz

4 http://www.fl ickr.com/photos/michelblanchette/1038561857/sizes/o/

5 http://architecture.about.com/od/worldtradecenter/ig/World-Trade-Center-Plans/

6 http://www.fl ickr.com/photos/comtrag/485038726/




10 http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cb/Oklahomacitybombing-DF-ST-98-01356.jpg

11 http://static.panoramio.com/photos/original/17553627.jpg

12 Ken Lund. www.fl ickr.com/photos/kenlund/2716164844/



15 http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/65/The_Survivor_Tree_at_the_Oklahoma_City_National_Memorial.jpg


17 http://static.panoramio.com/photos/original/2500068.jpg

18 http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a5/Memorial_to_the_murdered_Jews_of_Europe.jpg

19 http://www.fl ickr.com/photos/wolfgangstaudt/566300201/sizes/o/

20 http://www.fl ickr.com/photos/speakingoff aith/326969302/sizes/o/

21 http://www.fl ickr.com/photos/ryanhadley/194533868/sizes/o/

22 http://www.fl ickr.com/photos/chdphd/3267859208/sizes/o/

23 http://www.fl ickr.com/photos/chdphd/3267859208/sizes/o/

24 Steve Ludlum, Pulitzer Prize Winning Photo 2002

25-30 http://architecture.about.com/od/worldtradecenter/ig/World-Trade-Center-Plans/

Transition http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8c/MemorialRelatedImages_06.jpg

Conclusion http://architecture.about.com/od/worldtradecenter/ig/World-Trade-Center-Plans/

LIST OF FIGURES

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Figure 1 - Vietnam Veterans Memorial

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“Brought to a sharp awareness of

such a loss, it is up to each individual

to resolve or come to terms with this

loss. For death is in the end a per-

sonal and private matter, and the

area contained within this memorial

is a quiet place meant for personal

refl ection and private reckoning.”

This quote by Maya Lin (Boundaries

2000) is discussing the Vietnam Vet-

erans Memorial; the design that set

the precedent for modern memorial

design. Death is a diffi cult event to

come to grips with. Each person re-

fl ects on death diff erently from the

next. As art critic Arthur Danto pro-

claims, “We erect monuments so that

we shall always remember, and build

memorials so that we shall never for-

get” (The Wall, The Screen, and The

Image, 120). Each of the Memorials

in this document is the result of a

tragic event in history in which loss

of life occurred. A memorial serves

to honor those that lost their lives

through the use of some artistic ex-

pression. The Vietnam Veterans Me-

morial was built in 1982 and has set a

standard for the way in which memo-

rials should be designed. The use of

symbolism, simplicity, organization

and alignment, materials, and nam-

ing those lost are a central theme in

honoring the victims in the Vietnam

Veterans Memorial. The comparisons

made will be from the Vietnam Veter-

ans Memorial to the other case stud-

ies. This list includes the Oklahoma

City National Memorial, the Memo-

rial to the Murdered Jews of Europe,

and the World Trade Center Memo-

rial. Each of these memorials will

be evaluated in comparison to the

historical precedent to determine

the level of infl uence that it had on

the current design. The determining

factors will include scale, form, ele-

ments, function, context, symbolism

or meaning, philosophies, design

approaches, and most importantly

how they are similar or diff erent.

INTRODUCTION

Figure 2 - Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial

Figure 3 - Oklahoma City National Memorial

Figure 4 - Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe

Figure 5 - World Trade Center Memorial

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VIETNAM VETERANS MEMORIAL

Historical Precedent

Designed by Maya Lin

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The Vietnam War stood for failure and shame in the col-

lective eyes of Americans. Honoring those that fought

would have to be done in an unconventional manner.

Memorial design prior to this event included honoring

those who have had success or some greater infl uence

over the country. Even in the greater context of the site

surrounding the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, there was

a series of historically profound monuments of a grandi-

ose scale directly adjacent to this memorial site. These

monuments paid tribute to some of the most signifi cant

citizens of the country and even previous war eff orts

that were deemed a success. The Vietnam War did not fi t

into these categories of accomplishment and therefore

deserved a fresh approach. An approach that would help

people get past the war by remembering it. As art critic

Arthur Danto proclaims, “We erect monuments so that

we shall always remember, and build memorials so that

we shall never forget.”

The design of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial was intend-

ed to fi t into the fabric of the existing setting. Excluding

the memorial itself, the 2-acre site remained

senior year at Yale, the young designer won the national

competition for the controversial memorial. The design

ended up setting a signifi cant precedent while radically

shifting the style of future memorial designs. The prec-

edent set forth by the simple use of materials, symbol-

ism, the names, and elegant form has been emulated in

memorial design ever since. Commemorating a war of

dispute and division is challenging in and of itself, but

considering the highly questioned and ever-changing

history of the war, the design had to go beyond the

typical solution for commemoration. As Peter Ehrenhaus

states,

“The tradition of U.S. public discourse in the wake of war is founded upon the premises of clarity of purpose and success; when such presumptions must account for division, equivocation, and failure, and when losing is among the greatest of sins, commemoration seems somehow inappropriate” (Ehrenhaus quoted in Sturken, 2).

Background

HISTORICAL PRECEDENT

Vietnam Veterans Memorial

“I imagined taking a knife and cutting into the earth, opening it up, an initial violence and pain that in time would heal… “

The Vietnam War divided American society. With over

58,000 soldiers forever lost, Americans had mixed feelings

in regards to the war. This sentiment generated a collec-

tive feeling of shame and denial throughout the country.

The soldiers that were killed in action needed to be hon-

ored and remembered. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial

was designed to honor those that served in the war.

“…The need for the names to be on the memorial would become the memorial; there was no need to embellish the design further. The people and their names would allow everyone to respond and remember.” -Maya Lin (Boundaries)

The design of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial was com-

posed by Maya Lin (See Figure 6). Just a student in her

intact with no signifi cant landscape changes. The two

arms of the memorial point to the Washington Monu-

ment and Lincoln Memorial. The alignments are divided

by 132 degrees, to form a wide V shaped form. By open-

ing the memorial to those historical sites, the memorial

encompasses the ideals of both monuments and raises

the signifi cance of the names engraved into the black

granite. Maya Lin’s simple and elegant design for the

Vietnam Veterans Memorial has restructured the manner

through which memorial design is expressed. This de-

sign has been copied and redone ever since the design

was constructed in 1982. Her work set the standard for

modern memorial and monument design. The design

precepts that she used to distinguish her design include

the symbolic meaning of the design, the alignment or

spatial organization of the site, the materials used in the

design, and the names of the service men and women

that were honored.

Figure 6 - “The Wall”

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THE NAMES

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial has the names of 58,132

service men and women engraved into the black granite

wall (See Figure 9). The memorial serves as a marker of

remembrance. This ensures that each individual shall be

remembered for the remainder of time. The names are

listed chronologically in the order that they were taken

from us. Organized alphabetically within the context of

each day their lives were taken, one can see the intensity

of the battles on a daily basis. There is also no mention of

rank next to the names. This was intentional to prevent

the value of one’s life from being perceived as more

important than any other. The only other words that ap-

pear on the memorial are 1959 and 1975 at the apex to

recognize the beginning and end to the chaotic war.

MATERIALS

The minimal use of materials and space is a signifi -

cant part of the beauty of the design. The memorial

is comprised of polished granite slabs that are highly

refl ective (See Figure 8). The color of the granite is black,

and done so intentionally by the designer. This aspect

of the design was highly controversial at the time. The

color choice made the memorial stand out on the Mall

in comparison to the other memorials and monuments

that were all white. The color is indicative of a negative

connotation or outcome which was symbolically con-

nected to the public perception of the war. Another vital

component to the material selection was the intense

refl ective nature of the granite. The role of the refl ectiv-

ity is critical. The black granite acts not as a mirror, but a

window. The material creates a sense of two worlds, one

that we are a part of and one we cannot enter into. The

minimal use of materials has been emulated in memorial

design ever since.

SPATIAL ORGANIZATION + ALIGNMENT

The order of the site and the layout of the design is done

magnifi cently in the Vietnam Veterans Memorial site.

The slice is a simple gesture that speaks loudly about

the war and those that served. The V-shaped Memorial

is located on axis with the Washington Monument and

the Lincoln Memorial to align the monument with the

history of those two pieces. The full length of the memo-

rial spans 494 feet and 10 feet in height at the apex of the

two wings to form a shallow basin. The memorial is set

into the earth. The highest edge of the structure aligns

with the level plane of turf behind it. Due to these layout

specifi cations the memorial recedes from view. The

monuments surrounding the Vietnam Veterans Memorial

can also be seen from a considerable distance. By com-

parison, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial is a controlled or

contained space. All of the views are restricted intention-

ally. This alignment is important to the identity of the

piece. Maya Lin explains, “By linking these two strong

symbols for the country, I wanted to create a unity be-

tween the nation’s past and present” (Landscape Design,

499). The Memorial is aligned with the Lincoln Memorial

and the Washington Monument (See Figure 7).

Description of Design Precepts

HISTORICAL PRECEDENT

Vietnam Veterans Memorial

SYMBOLIC MEANING

The importance of the war is critical in the defi ning

properties of this memorial. The symbolism that Maya

Lin was able to pull out of the war itself shaped the de-

sign form and experience. The premise for her design is

based around the healing process of a wound or a scar.

The design idea was to cut into the earth to create this

wound that would over time scar and heal. The cut into

the earth represents the war eff ort, the wound is the ef-

fect of the war on the soldiers, American Society, and the

world, and the scar is the process in which we try to heal,

recover, or make up for the doings of the past. Eventually

through remembering we can begin to forget the ter-

rible things of the past almost as a way of coping.

Figure 7 - Memorial Alignment Figure 8 - Refl ective Materials Figure 9 - The Names

Case Study 9

Designed by Hans + Torrey Butzer OKLAHOMA CITY NATIONAL MEMORIAL

Case Study

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am. The rescue search took weeks to fi nd all 168 victims

that included 19 children. McVeigh felt that the govern-

ment, in particular the ATF (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco,

and Firearms) were merciless in handling the situation

in Waco. The Brach Davidian Cult was at a standoff with

the government offi cials at the compound in Waco. The

government attempted to gas the complex to force sur-

render, but instead they unintentionally ignited the entire

compound and killed 75 people many of which were

children. Many Americans blamed the government for

this, including McVeigh who wanted retribution to those

involved. Of course his method of obtaining justice is

obscene and fl at out wrong. McVeigh was arrested 90

minutes following the attack on an unregistered fi rearm

charge. He was pulled over by highway patrol for driving

without a license plate but when the police offi cer saw

the gun he became suspicious and arrested him upon

learning that it was not registered. Prior to being released

for this charge, authorities discovered his connection to

the bombing by tracing all the purchases and rentals

back to him. On June 3, 1997, McVeigh was convicted of

murder and conspiracy and on August 15, 1997 he was

sentenced to death by lethal injection. On June 11, 2001,

McVeigh was executed (http://history1900s.about.com/

cs/crimedisaster/p/okcitybombing.htm).

Background History

CASE STUDY

Oklahoma City National Memorial

We come here to remember those who were killed, those who survived and those changed forever. May all who leave here know the impact of violence. May this memorial off er comfort, strength, peace, hope and serenity.

The passage above is inscribed into the Gates of Time at

the Oklahoma City National Memorial. The bombing of

the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building on April 19, 1995,

killed 168 people, including 19 children, and injured

more than 650 (See Figure 10). The memorial is a pub-

lic/private partnership erected in their memory for the

families, the survivors, and their rescuers (http://www.

nps.gov/okci/). The Oklahoma City bombing was done

by Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols in retaliation to

the incident in Waco, Texas two years prior. Marking the

second anniversary of the Branch Davidian Cult standoff ,

McVeigh parked a rented Ryder truck adjacent to the

Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building with 5,000 pounds of

ammonium nitrate in the storage hold. Most of the em-

ployees had already arrived to work that day and children

dropped off at the daycare center. McVeigh left the keys

in the truck and locked the doors, then went to a nearby

alley and began to jog. The massive bomb went off and

destroyed the entire north face of the structure at 9:02 Figure 10 - Remains of the Federal Building

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SYMBOLIC MEANING

The precepts of design for the Oklahoma City National

Memorial include the symbolic meaning of the memo-

rial which refl ects the impact of violence, the material

selection and minimalist form, and the chairs or the

recognition of those directly aff ected and lost by the at-

tack. The symbolism starts with the Survivor Tree which

was an American Elm that was damaged but not killed

by the blast. The tree stands as a symbol of endurance

(O’Connell 2000). The Gates of Time and Field of Chairs

are also symbolic within the design as Adam Knapp

explains,

“The Gates of Time frame the moment of the bombing with one gate symbolizing the innocence of 9:01, the minute before the explosion, and the other 9:03, repre-senting the healing that began immediately after. The Field of Empty Chairs contains 168 bronze and stone chairs, some small in representation of the children and others large for the adults. They symbolize the absence felt for each life lost in the tragedy, each sitting up on

a glass base with the etched name of a victim” (About.com 2009).

The Refl ecting Pool is set between the Gates of Time and

North of the Field of Empty chairs. The pool refl ects a

healing calmness and serenity. The darkness of the water

refl ects mourning.

MATERIALS + ORGANIZATION

The organization of the three acre site is critical in the

context of what needed to be expressed following the

tragedy so that the community could properly grieve

and remember what had happened. The designer

wanted to have a clear understanding of what happened

as well as fi ll the site with various elements of remem-

brance. These elements include the Survivor Tree, the

Refl ecting Pool, the Gates of Time, the Field of Empty

Chairs, the Rescuers Orchard, the Children’s Area, and the

Museum space. The program is heavy in use, and refl ects

the complexity of how to honor those that died in such a

tragedy. Also, because of the heavy programming, it was

important for the designer to use simple, elegant mate-

rials to prevent clutter. This allows the user to see and

understand what happened. There is a consistent use of

stone and bronze throughout the site. Even the Orchard

is made up of the same tree to get a simple consistent

form and color throughout. Locating the memorial along

the former building footprint is also important in the

alignment and organization of the memorial. The Refl ect-

ing Pool is also located along where 5th street used to be,

creating a symbolic element on the site.

FIELD OF EMPTY CHAIRS

The fi eld of 168 Stone and bronze chairs display the

amount of lives that perished during the attack. They

vary in size to represent children that were killed. They

create a visual element for the viewer to understand

exactly how many people died, to be able to relate a

number to a real scale. The eff ect of the chairs is power-

ful and critical to the design. Each person is honored and

remembered that died with their names inscribed into

each chair.

CASE STUDY


The Oklahoma City National Memorial is located on the

former site of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building. The

design was conceived through an international competi-

tion process that had entrees from 624 teams. The win-

ning design team was the Butzer Design Partnership who

came up with the conceptual design while the Architect

of Record was Sasaki Associates. The symbolic memorial

was built along the edge of the former federal building

on a three acre site. The design also converted an adja-

cent building used for Journalism Record into a museum

and visitors space to inform people about the attack.

Another important site component was the creation of

the Oklahoma City Memorial Institute for the Prevention

of Terrorism and Violence (O’Connell 2000). The ele-

ments within the Memorial include the Gates of Time

(See Figure 11), the Refl ecting Pool (See Figure 11), the

Field of Empty Chairs, the Rescuers’ Orchard, the Survivor

Tree, and the Children’s Area.

Site Description Design Precepts

Figure 11 - Refl ective Pool + Gates of Time

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The Vietnam Veterans Memorial designed by Maya Lin set

the standard for modern memorial design. The design

principles used in the memorial design for commemorat-

ing the Vietnam War have been refl ected in work since

that design was built. The elements of signifi cance in

that design include the symbolism, the spatial organi-

zation and alignment, the material selection, and the

names of those that died. The Oklahoma City National

Memorial has primarily the same precepts for design

as the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Although two very

diff erent memorials that represent two very diff erent

events in time, the way in which those that suff ered are

remembered is similar. Both memorials came about from

dramatic events in history, and were designed through

competitions. They both deal with grieving and loss

of life in order to help people deal with death and help

remember those that died. The two memorials approach

honoring the loss of life in the same manner, listing every

person that died and using refl ectivity to symbolize

mourning (See Figures 12 + 13).

Design Precept Comparison

CASE STUDY


Figure 13 - The ChairsFigure 12 - The Names

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foot structure. The chairs are isolated to the south of the

refl ecting pool which is located along where 5th street

used to run. On either end of the refl ecting pool are two

gates which are called the Gates of Time. Adjacent to

the Gates of Time is the Survivor Tree (See Figure 15). The

Gates of Time are very large in scale, almost monumental

in comparison to the human fi gure. This contrast brings

a new level to the meaning of the gates. The scale is

defi ned in a much grander scale which is the opposite of

the Vietnam Veterans Memorial which tries to blend into

the land and be almost invisible. The Gates stand tall and

consist of the same simple materials as the rest of the site,

stone and bronze (See Figure 16). This is similar to the

Vietnam Veterans Memorial in using a simple materials

palette to keep the design simple and elegant. The Gates

are symbolic of the peaceful time prior to the explosion

(9:01) and the other gate is symbolic of the mourning

that began right after the blast (9:03). The refl ecting pool

in between the two allows you to gain perspective of

what happened at 9:02 as you stare at the fi eld of chairs

refl ecting back at you in the darkness of the water. The

stone chairs that have one name for each chair (See Fig-

ure 14). The bottoms of the chairs are made of glass. As

Kim O’Connell from LAM explains, “their forms are edgy,

uncomfortable-looking, a subtle reminder of the violent

nature of the event” (September 2000). There are 168 to-

tal chairs representing those that were killed in the attack.

The organization of the chairs is based in rows, O’Connell

continues, “according to the fl oor on which the victims

were working or visiting that fateful day. They cluster in

the center and spread out, like debris from the explosion”

(September 2000). This design strategy was powerful

according to Rebecca Krinke, “both subtle and chilling,

reminding one of the horror of this bombing. The chairs

as an echo of the explosion is something I found myself

thinking about and seeing in my mind’s eye again and

again” (LAM September 2000). The way in which the

visitor is presented with the information of how many

people died is diff erent in the sense as the chairs give

you an exact feel for the amount of people while the

Vietnam Veterans Memorial is overwhelming. It is too

diffi cult to fathom just how many names are on the 494

process of developing a proper memorial. This is con-

trary to the Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial which did not

include participation of Veterans which helped make that

project very controversial. As Maya Lin exclaims about

the lack of Veteran participation, “The fact that no veter-

ans had been on the jury, the unconventionality of the

design and the designer, and a very radical requirement

made by the Vietnam veterans to include all the names

of those killed made it inevitable that the project would

become controversial” (Boundaries 2000). While the two

projects vary in the process of including certain people

or groups in the design development, they are similar in

many ways. Both memorials list the name of every man

or woman that died in the tragic event representative

by that memorial. The way in which these names are

presented are very diff erently however. On the Vietnam

Veterans Memorial the names are engraved onto black

granite slabs that make up the memorial structure. They

names are only a piece of the various symbolic gestures

in the Oklahoma City National Memorial. The names are

presented in an empty fi eld on custom made bronze and


CASE STUDY

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial has a key element that is

located centrally within the two acres. The black granite

wall that is symbolic of a scar on the earth is the main fo-

cus of the entire site. The Oklahoma City National Memo-

rial uses heavy programming though out the site. Even

though the two are relatively the same size, 2 acres and 3

acres respectively, the Oklahoma City National Memorial

engages the entire site to present its message as Bunster-

Ossa explains, “their design was about a ‘place’ more than

a monument, it engages the entire site as a landscape of

remembrance, giving people choices about how to fl ow

through it and ponder on the tragedy” (quoted in LAM,

September 2000). The site is also located in the actual

location of the tragedy. The Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial

is located in the National Mall. It is directly adjacent to

the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument.

This placement among the most powerful memori-

als and monuments is a very symbolic gesture for the

Vietnam Veterans Memorial because of the meaning of

each of those separate entities. The design team was

open to working with the families and survivors on the

Figure 15 - The Survivor TreeFigure 14 - The Lit up Chairs Figure 16 - The Gates of Time

14Oklahoma City National Memorial

CASE STUDY

pool also refl ects the Oklahoma sky which is symbolic

of heaven, while the blackness of the water can denote

hell or the event happening on earth. The base of the

refl ecting pool is made of polished granite, and the water

level rests only a quarter inch above to create a dramatic

refl ection in the water (See Figure 17). A person could

walk across the pool in sandals and not get their feet wet.

The design is similar to the historic precedent because it

uses refl ectivity to allow you to do just that, refl ect. The

symbolism relating to how to deal with death is used on

both memorials. However, water is not used in the Maya

Lin memorial. Although the purpose of the water is pure-

ly functional in order to enhance the refl ectivity of the

object making it similar to the precedent in that sense.

The next symbolic piece on the site is the Survivor Tree.

This badly bruised American Elm survived the blast of

explosives and has been a testament to endurance and

strength. The tree was left in the same position it had

occupied prior to the attack. The only diff erence made

was the retaining wall surrounding it which reads, eternal

gratitude. The statement refers to the help and support

that the entire country gave Oklahoma City in the event

of this tragedy. The wall is also composed of the same

simple materials, bronze and stone. All of these elements

are lit at night to provide a glow of gold and bring out

the inscriptions of names and statements related to each

piece of the memorial. In contrast, the Vietnam Veterans

Memorial is not intended to be used at night. There are

only lights along the walkway that guide you in a direc-

tion. The Oklahoma City National Memorial also has an

area devoted to the Rescuer’s and the Children. These

two spaces are located north of the Refl ection pool along

Harvey Avenue and adjacent to the Museum. There is no

doubt that the Vietnam Veterans Memorial helped shape

the design in Oklahoma. The two projects vary in many

ways, but are similar in many as well. The use of symbol-

ism, materials, and the names are signifi cant in shaping

the form and identity of the Oklahoma City National

Memorial. As Rebecca Krinke explains, “the Oklahoma

City National Memorial exists because the bombing was

important to nearly all of us – cutting across the Ameri-

can grain. Like the pool at its center, it refl ects a dark

chapter in our collective history, forcing us to remember”

(LAM September 2000).Figure 17 - Refl ecting the Gates of Time

Case Study 15

Designed by Peter Eisenman MEMORIAL TO THE MURDERED JEWS OF EUROPE

16

The memorial site was the former site of the Reich’s Min-

istry Gardens. The 30 million dollar project was designed

on a 4.7 acre site which included 22,776 square feet of

sub surface information centers, containing exhibition

galleries, seminar space, offi ces, a bookshop, and all of

which sit beneath the memorial of concrete slabs which

create an undulating ceiling which is poured in place.

The above ground portion of the memorial includes

concrete slabs which create topography by incorporat-

ing various heights that range from 2 feet to 15 feet. The

slabs are 3 feet long by 8 feet wide and range in height

depending on where they are located on the grid (See

Figure 18). The grid is spaced 3 feet apart, which means

each pillar is 3 feet apart from another pillar in each

direction. The pillars are designed to be simple, without

inscription or color of any kind. This is done intentionally

by the designer as Suzanne Stephens from Architectural

Record explains, “These elements – abstract forms, grid-

ded plan, rolling terrain – adhere to the overriding theme

of repetition with displacement, to create an immensely

powerful kinesthetic, tactile, and visual experience” (126).

The design precepts for this design coincide with the his-

toric precedent that Maya Lin’s Vietnam Veterans Memo-

rial set. These elements include a simple use of materi-

als, elegant and simple form, and symbolism, although

limited the intentional lack of symbolism and names was

an integral part of the design. Even though the design

is notably distinct from the historical precedent, many

of the elements and principles within the design are in-

corporated based off of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.

These elements will be addressed in the case study.

CASE STUDY

Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe

Background History Site Description + Design Precepts

“We wanted a silent fi eld – a deafening silence in the

age of noise” exclaims architect Peter Eisenman about

his Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe (Architec-

tural Record 7/2005 126). The memorial was built some

60 years after the holocaust which some may argue

was too late; others argue it is too soon. Either way the

actions of the Nazi’s during the Second World War were

inexcusable and morally wrong in every way, shape and

form. Adolf Hitler, had plans to exterminate the Jews in

what he called the ‘fi nal solution.’ The leader of the Nazi

party at the time, Hitler tortured, experimented on, and

fl at out murdered men, women, and children who were

Jewish. He created internment camps to force Jews to

work for the Nazi’s while they were being malnourished

and brutally beaten and overworked. Under the guise of

sending them to a nice place to simply protect them, he

mislead the masses into these internment camps where

many were killed upon arrival. The strong ones would be

permitted to live and work for the Nazi’s. Hitler set up gas

chambers where he would mass murder as many Jews

as he could fi t into the chamber. This is only a small part

of the terror and horror that these people had to experi-

ence as Hitler attempted his genocide. Words cant pos-

sible explain the pain and suff ering that the Jews had to

go through and it is because of this sequence of events

that has made this memorial so diffi cult to build over

the last half of a century. There were over 6 million Jews

killed during the Nazi reign. One of the initial controver-

sies of the memorial was that it did not pay homage to

gypsies and homosexuals who were also targets of Nazi’s.

Lea Rosh, a German television journalist responds, “The

central goal of National Socialist genocide policy was the

destruction of Jewry… The consummation of 2,000 years

of anti-Semitism on this continent and the fi gure of six

million Jewish victims demanded a memorial dedicated

to Jews” (Architecture Record 7/2005 126-27). The me-

morial was designed by Peter Eisenman, a non Jewish

American. Figure 18 - The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe

17

all times. The design of the memorial also came about

through a design competition which seems to be a cen-

tral theme in large memorials of this scale. Peter Eisen-

man and Richard Serra were fi nalists in an invitation only

competition of internationally known artists and archi-

tects. However, Richard Serra decided to quit the col-

laborative design because of requests to alter his design,

and as an artist he wanted no part of this (LAM Novem-

ber 2006). The original Holocaust memorial competition

occurred in the late 1950’s, but after the assessment of

426 submissions from various designers, the jury failed to

select a winner concluding that no one entry adequately

memorialized a crime of such astounding proportion

(LAM November 2006). The Holocaust was probably the

worst of all the memorials studied in this document, and

in that sense it is diffi cult to compare it to any precedent

or other memorial. There are clearly similarities and dif-

ferences from the precedent and current work. One of

the diff erences are based around the entirety of the site.

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial had one central element

within the 2 acre site. The Memorial to the Murdered

CASE STUDY


The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe was

designed by Peter Eisenman to represent a fi eld of silent

markers or abstract pillars, 2,711 of them to be exact

(See Figure 19 + 20). The memorial is located in central

Berlin. There are no signs designating the memorial, no

sentimentality, no symbolism, no iconography of remem-

brance, no signifi cance to the number of concrete slabs

on the 4.7 acre site (Carol Salus LAM November 2006 42).

The fi eld of ordered and nameless slabs creates a terrain

or topography with a variety of heights. In regards to

symbolism, Nicolai Ouroussoff from the New York Times

explains, “The memorial’s grid, for example, can be read

as both an extension of the streets that surround the site

and an unnerving evocation of the rigid discipline and

bureaucratic order that kept the killing machine grinding

along. The pillars, meanwhile, are an obvious reference to

tombstones” (May 9,2005 A Forest of Pillars, Recalling the

Unimaginable). The visiting people can enter the forest of

concrete at just about any time of day, as security guards

are posted on round the clock shifts. Similar to the

Vietnam Veterans Memorial, the site is open to people at


Figure 19 - The Slabs

Figure 20 - The Forest of Concrete Slabs

18Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe

CASE STUDY

walking through. The markers are covered in an anti-graf-

fi ti coating to prevent neo-Nazi sentiment. This created

some controversy which the precedent is no stranger

to, although this was for an entirely diff erent reason. The

precedent was controversial because of the lack of Veter-

an interaction in the design process and the fact that the

designer was young, Asian-American, and a woman. The

controversy surrounding the anti-graffi ti spray lies with

the company that creates it. Apparently, “the architect

felt graffi ti could benefi t the memorial; later it emerged

that the company supplying the agent once manufac-

tured poison gas for use in Nazi death camps” (BBC 2005).

A very important discrepancy between the two memori-

als is in the listing of the names of those that died. Maya

Lin’s design incorporates the names of each person that

died, while there are no names found on Eisenman’s de-

sign (See Figure 21). He explains, “I fought to keep names

off the stones, because having names on them would

turn it into a graveyard” (BBC 2005). The memorial is not

symbolic in the sense that the Vietnam Veterans Memo-

rial was, but it is similar in the overall simplicity and use of

Jews of Europe uses the entire 4.7 acre site for the fi eld

of concrete slabs and other site amenities. The scale of

the two sites is relatively close in size, the site in Berlin is

a little more than twice that of the Washington site. Both

memorials are located in very signifi cant locations in

relation to their individual memorials. ‘The Wall’ is located

along the national mall adjacent to the Lincoln Memorial

and the Washington Monument, which enhanced the

importance and symbolism of the memorial. The Memo-

rial for the Murdered Jews of Europe is located 328 feet

from the buried remains of Hitler’s bunker, in the center

of Berlin, which is signifi cant because it is in the heart of

the former governing body that was the Nazi regime. In

regards to the actual memorial, the form and simplicity

are also a common element between the memorial and

the precedent. The simple and quiet concrete slabs are

3 feet by 8 feet and vary in height. The precedent is also

a simple form in the shape of a V, which is comprised of

one material, black polished granite. The slabs are also

intended to disorient the person walking through the

space depending on which part of the terrain they are

Figure 21 - Concrete Field

19

CASE STUDY


minimal materials. The memorial makes a big statement

without a word spoken (See Figure 22). The memorial

intentionally creates a landscape in which people can

get easily disoriented or lost (See fi gure 23). This makes it

easy to refl ect upon the massive loss of life. As Suzanne

Stephens explains, “As visitors wander through the fi eld,

along very narrow paths, the steles loom taller in certain

areas, and the ground sinks toward the middle to about

8 feet below grade. Soon the visitor may feel lost, or at

least removed and isolated from the rest of the world. In

this peripatetic journey, these various sensations merge

into an aesthetic experience, where light and shadow

and the smooth surfaces of the deeply rich dark gray

concrete slabs create a singularly suggestive landscape”

(Architectural Record 126). The spatial organization and

layout, although nothing like the Vietnam Veterans Me-

morial is organized and directly correlates the simplicity

of that prior memorial. The fi eld of slabs is very ordered,

much like the direction that each V is pointing in. This

memorial is not easy to understand, and by no means

is it simple even though it appears that way in form. As

Max Page, assistant professor at the University of Mas-

sachusetts has written, “This is a memorial for adults and

an adult nation. The design assumes a mature citizenry

and a democracy that recognizes that responsibility for

confronting a nation’s past crimes rests not only with

the culprits but with the future generations as well. The

memorial does not inculcate or preach. It challenges” (As

quoted in LAM November 2006).

Figure 23 - Walkway within the Grid

Figure 22 - Perspective

Case Study 20

Designed by Peter Walker + Michael Arad WORLD TRADE CENTER MEMORIAL

21

The World Trade Center Memorial is the most recent of the aforementioned memorials. The history behind the memorial is tragic and

terrifying. The chronology of events begins early on the morning of September 11th, 2001. The events are put together by CNN:

8:45 a.m. (all times are EDT): A hijacked passenger jet, American Airlines Flight 11 out of Boston, Massachusetts, crashes into the north

tower of the World Trade Center, tearing a gaping hole in the building and setting it afi re.

9:03 a.m.: A second hijacked airliner, United Airlines Flight 175 from Boston, crashes into the south tower of the World Trade Center

and explodes. Both buildings are burning (See Figure 24).

9:30 a.m.: President Bush, speaking in Sarasota, Florida, says the country has suff ered an “apparent terrorist attack.”

9:40 a.m.: The FAA halts all fl ight operations at U.S. airports, the fi rst time in U.S. history that air traffi c nationwide has been halted.

9:43 a.m.: American Airlines Flight 77 crashes into the Pentagon, sending up a huge plume of smoke. Evacuation begins immediately.

10:05 a.m.: The south tower of the World Trade Center collapses, plummeting into the streets below. A massive cloud of dust and

debris forms and slowly drifts away from the building.

10:10 a.m.: A portion of the Pentagon collapses.

10:10 a.m.: United Airlines Flight 93, also hijacked, crashes in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, southeast of Pittsburgh.

10:24 a.m.: The FAA reports that all inbound transatlantic aircraft fl ying into the United States are being diverted to Canada.

10:28 a.m.: The World Trade Center’s north tower collapses from the top down as if it were being peeled apart, releasing a tremendous

cloud of debris and smoke.

2 p.m.: Senior FBI sources tell CNN they are working on the assumption that the four airplanes that crashed were hijacked as part of a

terrorist attack.

4 p.m: CNN National Security Correspondent David Ensor reports that U.S. offi cials say there are “good indications” that Saudi militant

Osama bin Laden, suspected of coordinating the bombings of two U.S. embassies in 1998, is involved in the attacks, based on “new

and specifi c” information developed since the attacks.

The events of the day are chilling and unforgettable. The day is fused into my memory permanently no matter how much I try to for-

get. The constant visual of the towers collapsing and people jumping from the upper stories to their death is engraved in my head.

Those who lived through that experience know the shock that is associated with 9/11. The memorial has not been built yet. It is still

in the process of being built, and therefore, is diff erent from the other memorials in this document. This memorial has to remember

nearly 3,000 people that lost their lives in a cowardly act of terrorism that will live in infamy. The entire country witnessed this event

live on their televisions and this creates another dimension to the project. This event touches home to a lot more people than the

other memorials might since there is so much actual footage of the event. Many have relatives or know someone who may have lost

their lives and certain sensitivity to that must be incorporated. Then the question follows, what design style is appropriate if any? The

other memorials are meant to remember those that died, but they were not located in the actual place where the event occurred. All

of these elements were challenges to Peter Walker and Michael Arad as they came up with their design for the devastated site. Their

concept was refl ecting absence. They accomplished this by creating a fi eld of trees that is interrupted by two large voids (World

Trade Center footprint).

CASE STUDY

World Trade Center Memorial

Background + History

Figure 24 - Steve Ludlum 2002 Pulitzer Prize winning photo

CASE STUDY

Site Description + Design Precepts


The description of the site is easily understood as Lower

Manhattan in the former site of where the World Trade

Center’s used to stand. The site will have two large voids

that are the former building footprints of the World Trade

towers and it will be surrounded by a forest of trees. The

large voids will be immense fountains that fl ow beneath

the surface. The site will be accessible under the surface

and will remember those that died inside. The site is de-

signed off of a grid pattern with the exception of the two

voids. All circulation is based on a grid system as well as

the trees and all amenities. The design precepts for the

world Trade Center Memorial include simple and elegant

form, materials usage, organization and spatial alignment,

the names of those who died, and some symbolism.

22Figure 25 - Master Plan

23

CASE STUDY



The comparison of precepts of design for the historical

precedent and the World Trade Center Memorial is chal-

lenging due to the fact that the project is not complete.

It is one thing to compare the statements prepared by

the designer’s and compare what is in actuality. Accord-

ing to the designer statements of intent, there are many

things in common with the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.

The layout and organization of the site is based on a mini-

mal grid (See Figure 26). The style can be the fi rst easily

compared component. The simplicity of the design is

intentional. Just like the design by Maya Lin it is striving

for the idea that less is more (See Figures 27-29). Howev-

er, because of the signifi cant diff erence in events could it

actually be achieving less is less? According to Clay Risen

from the New Republic Online, “minimalism is particularly

appropriate to commemorate the dead of a war about

whose precise meaning there is little consensus. Veter-

ans, war protestors, and grieving families can each create

their own meaning on the blank canvas of the wall. For

another, while the Vietnam Veterans Memorial is minimal-

ist, it is not abstract. Black granite is a traditional funerary

Figure 26 - Site Plan

Figure 28 - Interior Rendering Figure 29 - Interior Rendering

Figure 27 - Rendering

24

CASE STUDY


material, and the wall recalls an elongated gravestone.

The gently descending ramp is an obvious allusion to the

netherworld – Hades, the kingdom of the dead. And one

reason that the names are so moving is that there are

more than 58,000. But there is nothing equivocal about

what happened on 9/11. The nation was attacked, inno-

cent people died, and others died trying to rescue them.

A World Trade Center Memorial should commemorate

the dead, but not only the dead. It should say something

about the event, about the nation that was attacked, and

about its ideals. Minimalism is out of place here; what is

required is meaning” (LAM March 2004 pg. 23-24). The

issue with replicas is that they are never as good as the

original. This design is trying too hard to be all the things

that the Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial is. It is too similar

in so many ways. The use of materials is another way in

which the two projects are similar (See Figure 30). The

World Trade Center Memorial uses concrete like the

Vietnam Veterans Memorial uses Granite. The names of

those that died will be engraved into the concrete in the

sub surface zone. This will be similar to the precedent in

terms of listing all the people that died, not necessarily

how it is done. Although signifi cant, listing the names

will not be as impacting as the precedent because it is

3,000 names in comparison to 58,000. The design does

not properly represent the event; it only remembers

those that died.

Figure 30 - Ground Level Rendering

1

A Cultural Precedent for Modern Memorial Design CONCLUSION

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial set the trend for modern memorial design. The use

of materials, symbolism, and elegant form helped create the precedent that mod-

ern memorials follow today. The original can never quite be replicated as nicely

and eff ectively, however the memorials in this document are good in their own

right as stand alone memorials. It is diffi cult to replicate something successfully be-

cause of process of design and all the thought that went in to the project originally.

The best one can do is take aspects that apply and recreate their own versions of

them. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial is truly a marvel and cant possibly be ex-

plained in any document suffi ciently. To truly understand it, one must experience

it fi rst hand, and be moved by it. The memorialized tragedies in this document are

signifi cant events in course of history and must be remembered, not only for what

they meant, but for those people that they took from us.

25

27

Berlin opens Holocaust museum. 10 May 2005. BBC News. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4531669.stm

Ochsner, Jeff rey. A Space of Loss: The Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Blackwell Publishing. Journal of Architectural Education,

Vol.50, No.3(1997), 156-171.

Freida Lee Mock .1995. Maya Lin - A Strong Vision. Documentary.

Ivy, Robert. 7/2002. Memorials, Monuments, and Meaning. Architectural Record. Pg 84-87.

Knapp, Adam. 2009. Oklahoma City National Memorial. http://okc.about.com/od/museumseducational/p/okmemorial.htm

Lin,Maya. 2000. Boundaries. New York: Simon & Shuster.

Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, Berlin. 2006. http://www.sacred-destinations.com/germany/berlin-memorial-to-

the-murdered-jews-of-europe.htm

O’Connell, Kim A. 2000. “The Gates of Memory” . Landscape Architecture Magazine. Vol. 90 Number 9. September 2000. Pg.

68-77.

Oklahoma City National Memorial. March 22, 2009. http://www.oklahomacitynationalmemorial.org/index.php

Ouroussoff , Nicolai. May 9, 2005. New York Times. A Forest of Pillars, Recalling the Unimaginable. http://www.nytimes.

com/2005/05/09/arts/design/09holo.html

National Park Service. March 22, 2009. http://www.nps.gov/okci/

Princenthall, Nancy. April 2004. Absence Visible. Brant Publications, Inc. Art in America. 39-45.

Rybczynski, Witold. March 2004. Less is Less. Landscape Architecture Magazine. Pg. 20-24.

Salus, Carol. Landscape Architecture, Nov2006, Vol. 96 Issue 11, p42-47

September 11th: Chronology of Terror. CNN. 2001. http://archives.cnn.com/2001/US/09/11/chronology.attack/index.html

Stephens, Suzanne. 7/2005. Peter Eisenman’s Vision for Berlin’s Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe. Architectural

Record. Pg. 120-127.

Sturken, Marita. The Wall, the Screen, and the Image: The Vietnam Veterans Memorial. University of California Press. No.35,

Special Issue: Monumental Histories(1991), 118-142.

Ted Sampley. 1997. http://www.usvetdsp.com/maya_lin_wall.htm . Website.

World Trade Center Competition Site. http://www.wtcsitememorial.org/fi n7.html

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