Pulse Nightclub Memorial Winner Announced

Today's announcement was made by the onePULSE Foundation, which was created to "honor and preserve the legacy of the 49 killed and all those affected by the June 12, 2016 Pulse nightclub tragedy." The winning design was selected from six finalists in the two-stage competition; the finalists were determined in May from the 68 teams that participated in the preliminary stage's request for qualifications.

In full, the winning team is Coldefy & Associés with RDAI, Orlando-based HHCP Architects, Xavier Veilhan, dUCKS scéno, Agence TER, and Prof. Laila Farah. In a statement, the onePULSE Foundation offers a disclaimer for people who might expect the winning design to be built as presented: "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." The design team will meet with the community over the next year to refine the design of the project's main two parts.

Water and symbolism are at the heart of the memorial design, with a reflecting pool encircling the original Pulse Nightclub building and lines in 49 colors radiating from the basin toward a garden planted with 49 trees. For the museum, located nearly a half-mile west of the memorial, the winning team designed a spiraling, open-air structure with vertical gardens, public plazas, and a rooftop promenade. A third element is the survivors walk, which will trace the journey of victims and first responders on the night of the tragedy to, and beyond, a medical center north of the nightclub. 

The onePULSE Foundation indicates an anticipated opening for the project in 2022.