UPDATE (07/30/2021): the UK government has given the green light on london‘s holocaust memorial and learning centre designed by adjaye associates, ron arad architects and gustafson porter + bowman. to be built in the victoria tower gardens next to the houses of parliament, the plans were previously rejected by westminster city council in 2020 due to concerns surrounding the loss of public green space, as reported at the time by the guardian. the application was then ‘called in’ by the government for a public inquiry led by an independent planning inspector, who has now overturned the previous decision. work on the approved memorial will begin later in 2021. 

 

 

in october 2017, adjaye associates, ron arad architects and landscape architects gustafson porter + bowman were selected to design the UK’s new holocaust memorial and learning centre in london. located next to the houses of parliament in westminster, the memorial would honor jewish men, women, and children, as well as all other victims of nazi persecution. in december 2018, following a public exhibition, a planning application for the project was submitted to local authorities.

UK holocaust memorial
all images courtesy of adjaye associates, ron arad, and the UK holocaust memorial foundation

 

 

now, four months after adjaye and arad’s initial scheme was submitted to westminster city council, an updated version of the project has been revealed in response to concerns raised by local residents and amenity groups. while the project retains its original masterplan — an entrance pavilion that leads through a courtyard towards a subterranean learning center guarded by a dramatic entrance of bronze fins — the scheme has undergone a number of subtle revisions.

UK holocaust memorial
the bronze learning centre viewed from the passing street

 

 

the revised design for the entrance pavilion aims at making it ‘a lighter, more transparent element that enhances and harmonizes with the existing gardens.’ the building’s roofline has been updated to ensure better views across the site — particularly from the playground at the southern edge of the site towards the parliament building to the north. adjustments have also been made to the courtyard layout in order to make it, in the words of the design team, more ‘intuitive and inclusive’.

UK holocaust memorial
the roofline of the entrance pavilion (center) has been updated to ensure better views across the site

 

 

meanwhile, the footprint of the bronze-clad learning centre has been rationalized at the western and northern end, pulling the building away from the site’s trees. the revision also reduces the necessary construction time and excavation, while improving logistics on site. ‘the proposed design changes are considered to enhance the scheme and improve views towards victoria tower gardens and the palace of westminster, in particular from the south end of victoria tower gardens,’ says the team behind the project.

UK holocaust memorial
the structures have been redesigned to better ‘harmonize’ with their context

 

 

with the revised design now submitted to westminster city council, the UK holocaust memorial foundation is asking for the public to make its views heard. see designboom’s previous coverage of the project here, and view the planning application in full here.

UK holocaust memorial
the footprint of the learning center has been moved away from the site’s trees