ADVERTISEMENTThe winning design for the national memorial for Queen Elizabeth II has been announced and will feature commemorative gardens, a translucent glass bridge and a statue of Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh.
British studio Foster + Partners has been selected to honour Britain’s longest-reigning monarch through their ambitious design, to be built in St James’s Park in central London.
The proposal was selected by the Queen Elizabeth Memorial Committee from a shortlist of five. It was praised for its “impressive” design that is “capable of creating an engaging landmark”.
“Foster + Partners’ ambitious and thoughtful masterplan will allow us and future generations to appreciate Queen Elizabeth’s life of service as she balanced continuity and change with strong values, common sense and optimism throughout her long reign,” said committee chair Robin Janvrin.
The design, envisioned by the studio alongside artist Yinka Shonibare, landscape architect Michel Desvigne and ecologist Professor Nigel Dunnett, will be finalised and revealed next year.
The concept seeks to honour Queen Elizabeth II’s ability to balance dualities – namely tradition and modernity, and formal and informal elements. To represent this, the design encompasses two new gates and two new gardens that will sit either side of St James’s Park Lake, and be connected by the Unity Bridge.
The “unifying path” will feature a cast-glass balustrade inspired by Queen Elizabeth’s 1947 wedding tiara.
“At the heart of our masterplan is a translucent bridge symbolic of Her Majesty as a unifying force, bringing together nations, countries, the Commonwealth, charities and the armed forces,” said studio founder Norman Foster.
Foster is known for his designs for the Gherkin skyscraper and Millennium Bridge in London, as well as renovations of the Reichstag in Berlin.
