Air Force Memorial Competition

In Architecture

Posted: Aug 6th, 2009 / Last Edited: Jun 1st, 2010 Print

Description

Its formal language mimetic of flight, the Memorial soars one hundred feet in the air, as the ground beneath it slopes down precipitously. The trajectory, as it would be from a plane, is earthbound; the view from the vantage point of a pilot is more horizontal than vertical. A “stressed-skin” construction, derived from industrial aeronautical materials, provides the monument with the structural strength to support the dramatic cantilever.

Perched on a slope overlooking the Potomac River and downtown Washington, the lines of the Memorial integrate with the natural contours of the surrounding landscape. The site, in Arlington National Cemetery, provides a freedom from the rigor of L'Enfant’s master plan of the National Mall. The observation deck at the nose of the Memorial propels visitors towards the Mall and its monuments; sight lines pass over the treetops below to the panorama of the city beyond.

The memorial communicates both with visitors who are emotionally connected to the Air Force and with those arriving serendipitously. It provokes collective memory, using design as an allegory of flight.
Its formal language mimetic of flight, the Memorial soars one hundred feet in the air, as the ground beneath it slopes down precipitously. The trajectory, as it would be from a plane, is earthbound; the view from the vantage point of a pilot is more horizontal than vertical. A “stressed-skin” construction, derived from industrial aeronautical materials, provides the monument with the structural strength to support the dramatic cantilever.

Perched on a slope overlooking the Potomac River and downtown Washington, the lines of the Memorial integrate with the natural contours of the surrounding landscape. The site, in Arlington National Cemetery, provides a freedom from the rigor of L'Enfant’s master plan of the National Mall. The observation deck at the nose of the Memorial propels visitors towards the Mall and its monuments; sight lines pass over the treetops below to the panorama of the city beyond.

The memorial communicates both with visitors who are emotionally connected to the Air Force and with those arriving serendipitously. It provokes collective memory, using design as an allegory of flight.
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