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Kengo Kuma and Associates, working with K2LD Architects, have been selected as the winning team in an international design competition for the Singapore Founders' Memorial. Launched in January 2019 and amassing a total of 193 submissions, the final stage of the competition saw the jury unanimously select the duo's design from five shortlisted teams.
The Founders' Memorial will dedicate a strip of land on Singapore's Marina Bay to the city's first generation leaders and the personalities who paved the path towards independence, including the late Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore's first Prime Minister.
The building is envisioned as an integrated gallery and gardens experience at the Bay East Garden, and aims to educate users about the history of the nation, and inspire Singaporeans to contribute towards their collective future.
The jury praised the design for its organic form, which offers a "welcome counterpoint to the domes of Gardens by the Bay." According to Kengo Kuma, the concept is derived from the idea of a path, "a journey tracing the legacy of Singapore's founding leaders." Kuma likened the building to a "living memorial" that each generation of Singaporeans will have ownership of.
Multiple paths weave throughout the undulating structure and the surrounding landscape, meeting in the middle as a reflection of the nation's shared values.
Kengo Kuma and Associates with K2LD Architects will now further develop the design in collaboration with the National Heritage Board and Gardens by the Bay. Construction of the memorial is expected to begin in 2022 and open five years later.
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