According to Archdaily, Uruguayan architecture firm Gómez Platero has designed a new memorial to honour those affected by COVID-19. Situated in Montevideo, Uruguay, the monument will be “an expression of hope in an uncertain time. “

The memorial will be located on the edge of an urban waterfront, accessible only by a long pedestrian walkway. At the centre of the platform, an open void to the ocean beneath allows people to observe nature. It is designed to allow a high percentage of the structure to be pre-assembled for on-site assembly, minimizing the impact on the natural environment.

The memorial will be located on the edge of an urban waterfront, accessible only by a long pedestrian walkway. At the centre of the platform, an open void to the ocean beneath allows people to observe nature. It is designed to allow a high percentage of the structure to be pre-assembled for on-site assembly, minimizing the impact on the natural environment.

According to the firm:

The Memorial will be an object of simple and compelling form, that disappears as a result of changing climatic conditions, melting into the horizon.

The simplicity of its form, created in a single, precise stroke, reinforces its silent and timeless power of expression. Sitting respectfully on the site, with minimal environmental impact, it is immersed in the nature of the place.

The circular geometry sums up the concept of unity and community. It takes shape as a concave sheet with which the architecture offers a precise reference point that reveals the constant variation of the natural landscape, a scale for measuring the strength of the sea, a place of shelter and exposure to the wind.

Conceived as a space for reflection, it creates a destination to be explored, a meaningful expansion of public space that will adopt the various uses that members of the community assign to it, where people are protagonists and spectators of random events.

The dynamic experience of the object intensely connects visitors with their perception of time and place. It builds a space that stimulates the creation of sensory atmospheres where the alternation of sounds and silences of the place allows us to reflect, listen to our interior and imagine a hopeful shared future: Making Earth the Best Place to Live.

Images: https://www.gomezplatero.com/en/proyecto/memorial-pandemic/

Branko Miletic

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