‘orbits’ is the winning entry of cold war veterans competition for memorial design in wisconsin

 

the pritzker military museum & library (PMML) has recently selected oyler wu collaborative as the final winner of its april 2021 cold war veterans memorial competition. the studio’s proposal, ‘orbits’, will be built in somers, wisconsin, as part of a 10-year development project called the pritzker archives & memorial park center.

 

as its name suggests, the proposed design by dwayne oyler and jenny wu reveals a dynamic orbital shape rising from the ground and adapting to the land’s topography to welcome visitors into a timeless memorial that honors the fallen american soldiers from the cold war era. 

oyler wu collaborative wins cold war veterans memorial competition
renderings © oyler wu collaborative via PMML

 

 

honoring fallen cold war american soldiers through a timeless architectural volume

 

‘in recognition of the profound complexity of the cold war, our design draws from a range of meaningful artifacts and imagery from the era to create an immersive experience — evoking a range of cultural associations organized as a set of circular ‘orbits’ through the landscape,’ explain oyler and wu (see more here) . the studio’s winning entry was selected from a list of four finalists by PMML (see more here) after announcing its open call for submission of ideas. 

oyler wu collaborative wins cold war veterans memorial competition

 

‘the final decision was tough, but after much discussion, we believe that the orbits design will truly resemble a place where everyone who contributed to the cold war will be honored,’ commented PMML founder col. jennifer pritzker. “this memorial is special and very dear to many because people who sacrificed during this era are not recognized enough. our goal is to make sure that our gratitude to these individuals is signified through this project,’

 

 

 

project info:

 

name: orbits

location: somers, wisconsin

architecture: oyler wu collaborative

competition theme: cold war veterans memorial

competition date: april 2021

organizer: pritzker military museum & library (PMML)