National Emergency Services Memorial
Civilan Memorial
Year - 2003
Client - National Capital Authority
Scope - Winner National Competition through to completion
Location - Rond Terraces, Lake Burley Griffin, Canberra, ACT, Australia
Budget - $1m
Collaborative team: Aspect Studios (Lead Consultant), CAS, DCG Design, MB Lighting
The National Emergency Services Memorial honors the thousands of men and women who serve and have served in Australia's emergency services. The memorial provides a place to reflect on those who have fallen or perished while carrying out their duties for the benefit of the wider Australian community.
The spirit of the emergency services is embodied in the single, powerful gesture of the memorial. In one instance the memorial aggressively breaks form the gentle continuity of the surrounding landscape, evoking the catastrophic events that call the Emergency Services into action. And on the other, the memorial becomes an inward folding form offering protection and comfort to all Australians during these times of tragedy.
The frieze gathers a collection of images reflecting the diversity of emergency services personnel at work. The bronze memorial ledge frames the frieze and allows for contemplation of those who serve and those who accept their aid. On the east face of the memorial are words that embody the values and professionalism of the emergency services personnel.l.
The project team developed the design through a highly innovative design, modelling and manufacturing processes. Computational design and manufacturing techniques that had not been used in Australia previously where developed specifically for this project. This set of new techniques combined with sophisticated artisanal techniques allowed the design team to create a memorial of a far larger scale than traditional methods would have allowed. The entire memorial is made up of three 10-meter precast concrete panels, and exhibits no repetition of the frieze design.
This computational design and manufacturing technique gave the designers and artists far greater scope in which to work with concrete, allowing a far more striking and evocative representation of the images of the Emergency Service men & women.
+ CCAA Public Domain Awards, Best Overall Project 2005.
+ CCAA Public Domain Awards, Public Art Winner 2005.
+ Year of the Built Environment Exemplar, 2004.
+ AILA Merit Award for Design in Landscape Architecture, 2004
Media
+ ‘Memorial signifies innovation in design, modeling and manufacturing’, National Precaster, No 36, Dec 2004.
+ Sandra Kaji-O’Grady, ‘National Emergency Services Memorial’, Architecture Australia, Vol 93 No 5, 2004.
Links - Aspect Studios DCG Design
