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onePULSE Foundation announces competition for National Pulse Memorial & Museum in Orlando

onePULSE

onePULSE Foundation announces competition for National Pulse Memorial & Museum in Orlando

The original Pulse nightclub, where 49 people of Orlando's LGBTQ community were killed in an act of hate, will stand as part of a new national memorial. (Via Creative Commons)

Today, onePULSE Foundation announced it will hold an open two-stage international competition to design the new National Pulse Memorial & Museum in Orlando, Florida. Architects from around the world are encouraged to submit their qualifications by 3 p.m. EST on April 30, 2019.

In collaboration with Dovetail Design Strategists, one of the country’s leading independent selection firms, the Foundation will pick six studios and their proposed teams by late May to create concept designs for the overall project, which will sit on the site of the PULSE nightclub and nearby properties. The original building, in which 49 members of Orlando’s LGBTQ community were killed in an early morning shooting on June 12, 2016, will be incorporated into the new memorial masterplan.

Per the competition website, the “focus of the memorial will be the victims, survivors, and first responders, not the tragic event.” For Stage II of the competition, entrants will be challenged to reimagine the sacred site with a sprawling landscape and comprehensive urban design that honors the lives that were lost, while simultaneously bringing hope and joy to visitors and the families of the victims.

The site will feature a new, 30,000-square-foot, “architecturally iconic” museum that will educate and address issues of tolerance, diversity, and inclusion. Outdoor space for community gathering and performances will also be woven into the new construction. An integral part of the site’s extension will be the pedestrian pathway known as Survivors’ Walk. It will trace the three-block journey many victims and survivors took to the nearby Orlando Regional Medical Center that fateful summer night. The Walk will additionally stretch further north to the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, where the first community vigil was held for the tragedy three years ago. According to the Foundation, this link will further deepen the site’s connection to downtown.

Aerial map of Orlando Florida's SoDo district
The site of the National Pulse Memorial & Museum will stretch north through Orlando’s SoDo district, connecting the Pulse Nightclub with other spots involved in the aftermath of the tragedy. (Courtesy onePULSE Foundation)

The six shortlisted firms will be selected by a jury of onePULSE Foundation leadership, local Orlando stakeholders, and architects Laurind H. Spear, co-founder of Arquitectonica and principal of Arquitectonica GEO, Sarah Whiting of WW Architecture, and Yolanda Daniels of studioSUMO.

This September, the top concepts will be showcased at a public exhibition at the Orange County Regional Historic Center in Orlando, Florida. After a public commentary period and presentations to the jury, the winning team will be announced in late October. Each team will receive a $50,000 honorarium for meeting the Stage II requirements of the competition once the final design is chosen.

The new National Pulse Memorial & Museum is slated to cost $45 million and expected to open in 2022. The memorial site will be free and open to the public year-round, seven-days-a-week, 24-hours-a-day.

For more information on submitting, visit the onePULSE competition website.

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