MEMORY FIELDS: Remembrance and Community Life | Competition Entry

The Competition:

The competition, held in the summer of 2012, called for the design of a mixed-use public facility and surrounding open space. The main program being a memorial for Ramat Ishai’s fallen soldiers – “Yad La-Banim” facility (a common public facility in the Israeli built landscape, dedicated to honoring and remembering casualties of war and acts of terror), with a secondary program of a local public library.

Our Proposal: Memory Fields

Location

The site, located at the entrance to Ramat Ishai, encompasses the opportunity of a link between the fallen and the present, the past and present-day, remembrance and a meaningful public space.

Merging the Building into the Landscape

The Built facility and the practice of remembrance are imbedded into the landscape, surrounding and creating a unique public green space. The building merges with the topography creating a roof terrace accessible from the street and encompassing a public square for both daily and ceremonial use at the lower level. Both the building and the square are defined and axccessible through a garden of terraces, greenery, the original trees and light stalks.

Memory Stalks

The terraced landscaped greenery together with the public square create a “Remembrance Garden”. Amongst it’s hills and trees lay the “Memory Stalks” of light – with their dual meaning and symbolism, portraying both the fields surrounding Ramat Ishai and the Metaphorical and biblical meanings of the “Shiboleth”, Their presence is a constant reminder of both the fallen and the meaningful land and landscape they fought for. The Lit stalks, as they reflecton the building’s facade, create a mesmerizing vision at dusk and through the dark hours, setting a backdrop for ceremonies and public events.

Interior and Exterior: an Introverted Memory

The Memorial Wall – creating memory spaces both inside and out, it faces the ceremonial square. As it folds into the building it enfolds remembrance practices and creates dedicated spaces for exhibits and memorabilia, as well as intimate communion spots inside the building. The folded wall also creates the connecting space between the memorial facility and the public library – linking the two through public space and gathering areas.