Beyond starchitecture: the shared architectural language of urban memorial spaces

ABSTRACT

This article investigates the role of architecture in inscribing the collective memory of mass atrocities in the urban landscape. Through the study of public memorial spaces located in four European cities, it investigates the ways in which architecture can act as a non-verbal language apt to translate, into material form, a reality that is too harsh to otherwise communicate. We argue that the memorial’s aesthetic qualities, relationship to the site, spatial organization, circulation path, as well as the specific use of materials, textures and symbols result in an environment that is conducive to receptivity, empathy and introspection. The article suggests that remarkable architecture can be more than a self-aggrandizing vehicle for designers, promoters and cities, but can have a positive effect on urban societies, as part of a movement towards collective healing, historic reparation and the redress of social inequality. They could also offer opportunities for cities to update their image, endowing them with a renewed reputation, as progressive, forward-looking and capable of recognizing past faults and acknowledging the collective benefits of inclusion.

KEYWORDS:

• Memorial space
• architecture
• urban planning
• collective memory
• mass atrocities

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the editors of this special issue as well as anonymous reviewers for their generous, constructive and enlightening comments on early drafts of this article.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).