New Zealand’s Canterbury earthquakes that began September 4, 2010, saw the loss of 185 lives, many injuries, and the devastation of its city center with over 140,000 homes damaged. The Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority (CerA), Christchurch City Council, Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu and Ministry for Culture and Heritage sought proposals to acknowledge the shared trauma.
My proposal engages the existing trees of the designated site in this open competition. Since Roman times, memorial benches have commemorated loved ones while also providing a moment of respite and meditation to those who pass by. Each bench defines a contained space to embrace a gathering of shared memories. The benches provide for inscriptions that can be read and touched. At a community-scale the six benches collectively form a site of remembrance whose soft illumination defines a sacred-zone each evening. The seats are made of stone, but the conical rings are made of polycarbonate. Illuminated with LEDs from within, they provide a beacon
