The onePULSE Foundation plans to build a memorial, a museum and education center, and a survivors walk.
onePULSE Foundation (Website), the not-for-profit established to honor and preserve the legacy of the 49 killed and all those affected by the June 12, 2016 Pulse nightclub tragedy, Wednesday announced that Coldefy & Associés (Website) with RDAI, Orlando-based HHCP Architects, Xavier Veilhan, dUCKS scéno, Agence TER, and Prof. Laila Farah, has been selected from 68 other submissions to design the National Pulse Memorial & Museum.
onePULSE Foundation plans to build (1) the National Pulse Memorial on the site of the Pulse nightclub at 1912 S Orange Ave (MAP), (2) the museum and education center at 438 West Kaley Street (MAP) approximately one-third of a mile from Pulse, and (3) an Orlando Health Survivors Walk stretching from Pulse past the Orlando Regional Medical Center to the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts.
The memorial and museum are projected to open in 2022. The memorial will be free and open to the public year-round.
Architectural Digest says, "What makes the announcement more interesting, however, is the unveiled design that the winning architects created will most likely change over time." The winning team’s concept design serves as a starting point for discussion and a basis for the design but is not the final, finished memorial and museum. Over the next year, Coldefy with RDAI | HHCP will work to further refine the designs so they can best reflect community feedback.
The Memorial - At the memorial, a reflecting pool will encircle the Pulse building using a palette of 49 colors and a peaceful garden will be planted with 49 trees.
The Museum - The plans call for a spiraling, open-air museum and educational center with vertical gardens, public plazas, and a rooftop promenade to signal the entrance to the Pulse district.
West Kaley - West Kaley street will be "renewed" with shade trees and landscaping.
Orlando Health Survivors Walk - The walk, punctuated with interactive sculptures commemorating all those affected by the tragedy, will trace the three-block journey many victims and first responders took the night of the tragedy to get to Orlando Regional Medical Center. It will extend north to the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts.
Future Plans - Future promenades, bike paths, and a Pulse shuttle connect to the train station and create walkable loops that serve as a framework for the healthy future growth of the neighborhood.
Launched in March 2019, the unique two-stage global design competition garnered 68 submissions from 19 countries and was led by Dovetail Design Strategists, the country’s leading independent architect selection firm. The submissions were narrowed down to six finalist teams who developed concept designs for a public exhibition and comment period that took place in early October.
A blue-ribbon Jury comprised of onePULSE community members, civic decision-makers, global thought leaders and world-renowned architects selected Coldefy with RDAI | HHCP following a public viewing and comment period in early October. Informed by over 2,300 comments from victim’s families, survivors, first responders and the public, the Jury felt their design best reflected the interests expressed by the community, demonstrated design excellence, inventiveness, creativity and alignment with onePULSE’s core values.