Arrival & Departure - Flight MH17 Memorial, Amsterdam

Introduction

Nadi Group placed second in matterbetter’s international design competition in 2014. The competition asked participants to submit a concept for a memorial, which would remember and honor the victims of the MH17 plane crash earlier that year.  

Project Summary

Our design for the memorial site would sit on an artificial island in IJmeer, a bordering lake near Amsterdam, in the Netherlands. We understood that the memorial would be a new public space, evoking a sense of remembrance with the ability to host ceremonies, recreation and private gatherings. Not to mention, a vital part of Amsterdam’s cultural infrastructure. We proposed a concept design that juxtaposes the park and memorial through a shifting relationship of time, creating a dichotomy between use and meaning. Similar to the hour hand of a clock, we designed the movement of the island to be an enthralling and magical journey, effectively marking the passage of time throughout the year by physically transforming the space.

Our Role

Nadi Group submitted a design concept to matterbetter's that emphasized the valuable qualities of a memorial while challenging the conventional idea of a memorial landscape park.