Govt backs memorial design choice
The Government has defended a decision to pick a ‘‘polarising close second’’ option in public feedback for Christchurch’s earthquake memorial design.
The Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority (Cera) has released a summary of the feedback on the six shortlisted designs for the memorial, which shows the public and the bereaved families favoured a different design to the one ultimately chosen.
Architect David Sheppard, who chaired the panel of experts making the final recommendation for the design, said he had not ignored the feedback.
The Memorial Ribbon Wall – the public and bereaved families’ top choice – was ultimately rejected because it did not offer enough space for public gatherings, would be in the shade and would need surveillance at night.
The Memorial Wall was chosen instead as it was a ‘‘very close second’’ and modification could easily be made to meet the concerns raised in the feedback.
Changing the Ribbon Wall design would have been more complicated and would have ‘‘watered down’’ the concept, he said.
In May, Earthquake Recovery Minister Gerry Brownlee announced the Memorial Wall was the design selected for the central city quake memorial.
The 150-metre-long marble wall etched with the victims’ names, and designed by Slovenian architect Grega Vezjak, will be situated on a stretch of the Otakaro/Avon River between Montreal St and Rhododendron Island.
As part of the process to select a final design for the memorial, members of the public were invited to provide feedback on the six shortlisted designs, alongside bereaved families, the seriously injured, recovery leaders and key stakeholders. More than 2800 responses were received.
The report showed the Memorial Ribbon Wall was the preferred design, with the Memorial Wall ‘‘a more polarising close second’’.
‘‘However, both these designs face challenges related to their fundamental ‘ wall’ design, in that walls can also act as ‘barriers’. Concerns were often voiced about wall-based designs blocking off views, restricting the ability to host large crowds (e.g at memorial occasions), and creating a ‘closedin feeling’ separate to the surrounding environment.’’
The Memorial Wall received ‘‘slightly fewer positive and slightly more negative responses’’, the report said.
Of the general submitters, 45 per cent said they thought the Memorial Ribbon Wall honoured the 185 people who lost their lives, as well as those who were injured.