HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL | massimo lovera

Project Summary

The design for the Holocaust memorial is composed of several elements, each with symbolic and functional significance.

Triangular Fountain At the heart of the project, in the generative point, is a triangular fountain that collects rainwater. This element symbolizes the origin of life, nourishing the surrounding forest and nature, representing a potential rebirth and offering visitors a place of reflection.

Signs of Memory Along the lines of trees, the signs of memory will follow a spiral that leads into the forest. This path, born from the golden rectangle, serves as the design key for the building's layout. The structure, made from structural wood with a mixed x-lam and frame system, consists of three sections rotating around a central space, housing the main activities: training, exhibitions, and readings. In the multifunctional central space, a reverse pyramid collects rainwater into a triangular fountain located in a floor cavity, connecting the project to the natural environment.

Camp The field will remain a green meadow, with the footprints of the camp buildings made readable through gravel grooves and metal edges. This field represents a place of celebration and gathering, bordered by a row of mature trees recovered from the area and replanted. A natural and man-made portico, created by the combination of trees and mirror-polished metal sheets attached to the trunks with cylinders and metal brackets, provides a place for reflection. Visitors passing through this portico can look up at the sky and see their reflections, serving as a reminder of the relationship between each individual's actions and the global context.

Cemetery A protective canopy for meditation, resembling a floating tombstone, is made of a light concrete slab tied to the tree trunks with cylinders and metal brackets that allow the trunks to grow. Nature supports, overlooks, lightens, and erases the weight, gravity, and brutality of human actions, offering a place for contemplation and remembrance.

This memorial aims to create an environment of reflection and memory, integrating natural and built elements to represent both tragedy and the potential for rebirth.