World War I Memorial

Designed for the World War One Centennial Commission, this proposed monument is dedicated to the memory of those lives lost in World War One and the service of American military personnel over the course of the war.  Nearly 4,700,000 American troops participated in the war and 116,516 American soldiers lost their lives.  The proposal includes a tower and a plaza.  The tower is visible from the National Mall. The quantity of Americans who lost their lives in service is made visible and memorialized with 116,516 ceramic tiles suspended in a tensile matrix to form a perfect cube measuring 120 feet on each edge.  The cube hangs on cables suspended between two towers.  The ceramic tiles on the columns visualize and memorialize the 4,533,484 Americans who served in the war and returned home. 

As a visitor ambulates around the site, the matrix creates a cinematic moiré pattern creating a reverent engagement between the visitor and the sacrifices made a century ago.

Location: Washington DC
Team: Deborah Richards & Zachary Colbert. Completed as Inter-Projects Architecture.