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New York City, NY United States |
West 12th Street & Greenwich Ave. | New York City AIDS Memorial at St. Vincent’s Triangle |
since 1 December 2016 without names |
Two months ago, we proudly announced the launch of the AIDS Memorial Park Design Competition, calling for architects and designers from around the world to re-imagine a 17,000 square-foot plot of land sitting across from the epicenter of New York City's AIDS epidemic, St. Vincent's Hospital. After the closure of St. Vincent's in 2010, plans were announced for the conversion of the triangular plot into an open public space. The AIDS Memorial Park Coalition gathered its founding members shortly thereafter, with the dream of seeing Greenwich Village receive a new neighborhood park and a memorial to commemorate the thousands of New Yorkers who faced the epidemic with unprecedented courage. What began as grassroots campaigning quickly gained momentum, and within a few months, an impressive roster of jurors and coalition members joined the initiative, from architects like Richard Meier and Michael Arad to entertainment leaders and West Village locals Julianne Moore and Susan Sarandon.
After receiving 475 entries from over 26 U.S. states and 32 countries, the jury deliberated long and hard, and the results are finally in. As proud media co-sponsors alongside Architectural Record, Architizer is happy to announce the winning design for the AIDS Memorial Park Design Competition
First place was awarded to Brooklyn-based studio a+i for their design proposal “Infinite Forest.” Designed by Mateo Paiva, Lily Lim, John Thurtle, Insook Kim, and Esteban Erlich, with a rendering by Guillaume Paturel, “Infinite Forest” memorializes the AIDS epidemic by emphasizing “the changing and varied ways through which AIDS affects us personally and as a society.” studio a+i turned away from obvious symbolism and chose to create a solemn space with a sense of respect and remembrance, lining 3 inward-facing mirrors along each side of the triangular block, loosely surrounding a forest of slender white birch trees. With its infinite reflection of trees, the park is to adopt many meanings, functioning both as an oasis for the weary commuter and a commemorative space for visitors to pay respect to the over 100,000 New Yorkers lost to the epidemic. On the exterior, three slate walls invite visitors and passersby to leave messages in chalk, creating a “forum for the voice of many.”
Architizer
30 January 2012
Kelly Chan, New York City
After receiving 475 entries from over 26 U.S. states and 32 countries, the jury deliberated long and hard, and the results are finally in. As proud media co-sponsors alongside Architectural Record, Architizer is happy to announce the winning design for the AIDS Memorial Park Design Competition
First place was awarded to Brooklyn-based studio a+i for their design proposal “Infinite Forest.” Designed by Mateo Paiva, Lily Lim, John Thurtle, Insook Kim, and Esteban Erlich, with a rendering by Guillaume Paturel, “Infinite Forest” memorializes the AIDS epidemic by emphasizing “the changing and varied ways through which AIDS affects us personally and as a society.” studio a+i turned away from obvious symbolism and chose to create a solemn space with a sense of respect and remembrance, lining 3 inward-facing mirrors along each side of the triangular block, loosely surrounding a forest of slender white birch trees. With its infinite reflection of trees, the park is to adopt many meanings, functioning both as an oasis for the weary commuter and a commemorative space for visitors to pay respect to the over 100,000 New Yorkers lost to the epidemic. On the exterior, three slate walls invite visitors and passersby to leave messages in chalk, creating a “forum for the voice of many.”
Architizer
30 January 2012
Kelly Chan, New York City
