Canterbury Earthquake Memorial

BRIDGE：INTEGRATION RATHER THAN ISOLATION, we believe, is the relationship need to be achieved among the memorial, the city and people’s daily life. The core of the memorial – the BRIDGE – is floated in the air, by adding a short-cut pedestrian pass across the river, the memorial integrates itself into the surrounding and strengthens the north-south axis of Christchurch City. For families to pay their respects, all names of victims are etched in laminated glass panels along the open side of the bridge.

WALL: IDENTIFY RATHER THAN OCCUPY, the L shaped WALL stretches through the site and responds to the boundaries on each side of the river. The wall gradually rises up from the landscape and get taller, when it crosses the river, it reaches 2.4 meter’s high with a steel truss inside and cantilevers the bridge deck towards the river. Lower than the existing Montreal Street bridge, the deck is blocked from the noise and unrest of the car traffic while keep the view of the Montreal Street bridge opened.

CLIENT: Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority

LOCATION: Canterbury, New Zealand

AREA: Site Area 0.98 Hectare

YEAR: 2014