Pentagon Memorial Design Competition

January 1, 2003 12:27 PM

The six finalists in the Pentagon Memorial design competition. The contest (official site) has "emerged as a kind of dress rehearsal" [NYT] for the upcoming World Trade Center competition. The Post reviewed the proposals, which will be narrowed to a winner on Feb. 21.
posted by mediareport (8 comments total)

I find the first three proposals on the Military City page to be pretty compelling--moreso than the latest round of WTC proposals, in fact. The first two are almost suitable for electronica album covers, which I fear may not be reverential enough. Two of the last three proposals, on the other hand, I found difficult to understand; there weren't enough images and the descriptions were vague-sounding. I wonder if the results from the web survey will be skewed as a consequence--certainly those options are getting the fewest votes.

All in all, it seems like a bold set of proposals for an institution that I'd expect to prefer benign classical themes.

(offtopic rant: What was Richard Meier thinking with his octothorpes-in-the-sky WTC design? A disappointment from one of my favorite architects, but it's reassuring to know that lower Manhattan could have a hockey goal for Godzilla in the future.)
posted by tss at 1:30 PM on January 1, 2003

um, the pentagon is still there. how about a nice plaque on the wall or something? must we smear visual excrement across the landscape everytime some lunatic farts upwind? 184 people (and a few thousand in new york) gave thier lives so that the bill of rights could be eviscerated by our own government. will we be erecting a memorial to the bill of rights?
posted by quonsar at 3:41 PM on January 1, 2003

will we be erecting a memorial to the bill of rights?

Whatever do you mean, quonsar? Monuments to the Bill of Rights are everywhere.
posted by mediareport at 4:05 PM on January 1, 2003

Anyway...

I think the presentation of ALL of those designs are horrible. They may be nice ideas, but they're damn near impossible to get a feel for.

I agree that a memorial isn't completely necessary. I think the mere fact that the building was repaired back to normal is memorial enough... the fact that people work in those offices again is plenty. But you know how it goes these days.
posted by Witty at 5:35 PM on January 1, 2003

The WTC problem can be solved quickly and easily. Just set up those two lights that point into the sky to symbolize the towers that they used at the ceremony, and leave the darn things on.
posted by wackybrit at 8:15 PM on January 1, 2003

a) electric bill
b) hate to live near that
posted by Witty at 9:40 PM on January 1, 2003

I like Jean Koeppel's

And I suppose this is more appropriate for the banned words list post up above, but I hope we all get closure on the word closure real soon. God, I hate that word.
posted by y2karl at 9:58 PM on January 1, 2003

Questions about the need for a memorial aside (isn't a memorial de rigeur any time a large number of people die upon a specific site, act of terror or otherwise?) I too appreciate the aesthetics and concept behind Jean Koeppel's design. I just wonder how, without any electrical devices (none seem to be present in the design spec) the glass monoliths will have a constant condensation layer year-round. If that could be pulled off, it could be quite spectacular.
posted by Dreama at 2:36 PM on January 2, 2003