The Heatherwick Studio entry for the Queen Elizabeth II National Memorial
Dear Readers, as you might remember I asked for feedback on the five different designs submitted for the Queen’s National Memorial in St James’s Park. If you missed the original post, you can see the entries below:
Thomas Heatherwick Studios (pictured above)
Foster and Partners entry
JL Gibbons entry
Tom Stuart Smith entry
and, finally, Wilkinson Eyre
Wilkinson Eyre entry
Well, my favourite is the JL Gibbons entry – it’s the only one that seems to take the natural world seriously, with planting plans, and ideas for how the scheme will work throughout the the seasons. But a number of people (architects and city planners amongst them) really liked the Wilkinson Eyre entry, maybe because of its imaginative design of public space, and it would be my second choice too. Several people liked the Tom Stewart Smith entry, with its complete cast of an ancient oak – personally I’d much prefer a real tree, and one that wasn’t stuck in the middle of a lake to boot, but it is interesting, and the symbolism of the Queen as an oak tree – steadfast in times of trouble – isn’t altogether wide of the mark.
I think both the Foster and Heatherwick entries are gimmicky and overblown, whereas the other entries could grow into their environment over many years. But let’s see what the powers-that-be decide. I shall report back when I hear! In the meantime there’s also a monumental sculpture competition, which fills me with a measure of horror I must admit. The sculpture will only be decided upon once the overall design has been agreed, so fingers crossed we don’t get the Foster offerings, or I shall never be able to visit St James’s Park again. Not that I’m opinionated or anything.
Thank you to everyone who commented, here and on Facebook – we had some lively discussion, which is always good! Let’s see what happens next.