OTTAWA — One of the world’s biggest stars in architecture has been chosen to design the National Holocaust Monument. Daniel Libeskind‘s winning design for the massive monument in Ottawa was announced Monday.It’s expected to cost up to $8.5 million to complete by 2015.The elongated Star of David design will allow visitors to walk through the triangular spaces, featuring photos of Holocaust sites sunk into the concrete walls. Libeskind’s controversial crystal redesign of the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto was completed in 2007. He also designed the Jewish Museum in Berlin in 1989, and was the master planner in the rebuilding of New York City’s financial centre following the September 11 attacks.
image courtesy of Lord Cultural Resource
“We are deeply honoured to be entrusted with designing the monument to Holocaust victims and survivors and we are committed to creating a place of meaning and value for all Canadians,
Carved from the flat, ground plain of the historic LeBreton Flats, the Monument stands as a silent and dignified space shielded from the highway and road traffic providing controlled vistas toward the Canadian War Museum, the surrounding landscape and the Canadian Parliament. This Monument is a “Landscape of Loss, Memory and Survival” in which a star is created by six triangular volumes at each of its points organized around a large gathering space for ceremonies. Each one of these volumes provides a unique theme and ambiance for interpretation, contemplation and artistic expression.”
Quick Facts
- In May 2013, teams of professional artists, architects, landscape architects and other design professionals were invited to submit their credentials and examples of prior work in the first stage of a two-phase design competition.
- Six teams were chosen to move forward to develop monument concepts as part of the competition’s second phase.
- The future National Holocaust Monument will be prominently located in the core of Canada’s Capital at the corner of Wellington and Booth Streets. The monument site faces the iconic Canadian War Museum.
- The official inauguration of the main elements of the monument is scheduled for fall 2015.
Ibrahim Abdelhady is an architect, academic, and media entrepreneur with over two decades of experience in architecture and digital publishing. He is the Founder and CEO of Arch2O.com, a leading platform in architectural media, renowned for showcasing innovative projects, student work, and critical discourse in design. Holding dual PhDs in Architecture, Dr. Abdelhady combines academic rigor with industry insight, shaping both future architects and architectural thought. He actively teaches, conducts research, and contributes to the global architecture community through his writing, lectures, and media ventures. His work bridges the gap between practice and academia, pushing the boundaries of how architecture is communicated in the digital age.