AERONAUTICAL MEMORIAL, AVIATORILOR AVENUE, BUCHAREST – VERSION 2

  • 2009

  • AWARD

    THIRD PLACE

General concept
Most of the memorials are made in public spaces separated from traffic and car traffic (in parks or areas designed from the initial phase to function as a memorial), spaces suitable for retreat and the realization of rituals of remembrance.
Considering the particular location of this memorial, namely its overlap over a congested urban setting, it must meet specific requirements:

  1. It should not be too discreet, because it can be lost by remaining in the status of urban furniture.
    Considering that the area dedicated to the memorial is dominated by tall and rich vegetation, the pieces must be perceived distinctly, so as not to dissipate in the planted mass.
    2. It must be perceived both by the pedestrian and, very importantly, by the driver. On this thoroughfare, car traffic is more intense than pedestrian traffic.
    On the occasion of the Remembrance Ceremonies, car traffic is restricted, and the ceremony takes place on the axis of the boulevard.
    3. Not to create closed spaces that can generate promiscuity.
    4. To generate an easily recognizable urban landmark, to have representational force and performance, and to become the compositional element of the ensemble
    5. To have two training buffer areas (the square facing the Aviator Statue and the square facing Charles de Gaulle).
    6. We avoided the use of water games because during the winter, they cannot be used, and they negatively change the appearance of the ensemble.
    A memorial (as opposed to a park) must maintain its appearance throughout the year, even when everything is covered with snow or leaves.

The advantages of this concept:

  • It is the first urban sculptural ensemble whose elements create the impression of movement as an expression of inventiveness and progress.
  • The surface of the dominant green spaces is preserved (the intervention in the area of the buffer squares and the enlargements in the area of urban sculptures represents approx. 10-15%), the result is that the investment in new pavements is considerably reduced.
  • The ensemble maintains the sobriety, representativeness and expressiveness necessary for a memorial throughout the year, both day and night, regardless of the snow cover, leaves or the condition of the pavement.
  • Considering that the piles can be made of prefabricated concrete, the on-site installation does not require much time, here only the cladding with white marble will be made.
  • It can be done in stages: the memorial elements (piles) can be executed in the first phase, followed by the pavements in the second phase and the squares in the Charles de Gaulle area in phase 3 or in another order proposed by organizers .
  • The fact that the repetitive elements are relatively different but identical in essence personalizes the 9 categories of commemoration that define the memorial.
  • The materials and technical solutions guarantee durability, security and good maintenance.
  • The intervention is discreet enough not to negatively affect the character of the area and the relationship with the Aviator Statue.
  • Solves the problem of access to the Memorial from Charles de Gaulle by developing the two squares in the metro entrance area. Considering the development over a very long length, the Memorial space must have some clearly established limits so as not to dissipate in the urban framework. One is the Statue of Aviators, and the other is the urban sculptures in these squares – as a pendant with the role of balance and marking access to the Memorial space. This area is extremely congested and has a very high potential to generate a quality urban space (square). Images can be projected on these files with modern laser systems, creating an interactive show.