In honour of the United Kingdom’s longest-serving monarch, the British government has launched a design competition for the masterplan of a national memorial dedicated to Queen Elizabeth II.
The Queen Elizabeth Memorial Committee is working with Malcolm Reading Consultants to identify a multidisciplinary team of artists, architects, engineers, landscape architects and other specialists who would be interested in designing the project. The winning team will be required to include an architect registered in the UK.
For the first stage of the competition, the committee is urging interested creatives to submit an expression of interest online. No design work is required at stage one, only details of the team’s profile, composition and experience. In stage two, there will be a ten-week design period for a shortlist of five competitors.
Committee chair and private secretary to the late Queen Lord Janvrin noted, “The challenge at the second stage for the finalists will be to evoke memories of Queen Elizabeth II’s outstanding contribution to national life and to tell the story of Her Majesty’s long reign through an original masterplan that is sensitive to the unique setting.”
The memorial will be located in St James’s Park in London, the UK’s oldest Royal Park, close to Buckingham Palace. The competition brief sets out defining elements including a new bridge over the park’s lake and opportunities for artistic interventions and enhanced landscaping.
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Pat McFadden noted, “This National Memorial will provide a permanent tribute to The Late Queen’s legacy, offering space for reflection as well as celebration. We want the very best architects and designers to come forward with their ideas for how this historic project should look.”
The shortlist is expected to be announced in the UK’s spring 2025 and the winner in early summer 2025. The final design is scheduled to be announced to coincide with what would have been the Queen’s 100th birthday year in 2026.
Details for EOIs can be found online, with this first stage of the competition closing 20 January 2025.
Source: Architecture - architectureau
