By:Angela Molina

Chi Chi Chen

Hee vvJae Youn

Philippe Quinal

Palau FreedomMemorial

Table of ContentGoalInspirationInitial drawingsInitial digital compositionMaterials 2nd PresentationFinal 3D digital rendering

Our goal: To honor the people of Palau who have died in combat. Infusing wester architecture with Palauan death ceremony we wish to recreate an experiences that pays homage to the all important elements and its connection to the native people.

Our inspiration: We wanted this memorial to connect you with the beauty of sacrifice. Connect us to the past and fill us with hope for the future. We wanted to stand in the presents of giants of culture. Every death born to Palau is a pillar of life pulled from the foundations of the islands. A life given in service of a war deserves a ceremony worthy of a warrior. A natural death begets a natural funeral, a death by a war machine begets commemoration by the machine. War is a machine of destruction knowing no creed or mercy. Now we are awaken to our humanity, no longer numbered by the violence of the war machine. Now with clear eyes we can see the water and feel the air again.

Our initial drawings: Our concept was to fuse the Palauan architecture with wester architecture already present in the capital building of Palau. In our initial sketches we have included the high picked roof like that of a Bie, and place it on the foundations of a roman style pillar. After more considerations we decided to remove the roof for it added bulk and to much distraction from the central set of colonnades. I order to include more elements of Palauan culture we compromised by adding the relief story broads to the pillars. The stories would be displayed on the inter set of the columns that outlined the rectangular hole in the surface. This hole was a way to have the viewers connect more actively with the water.

Our initial drawings: Our initial vision was to have the structure made in all white stone, and cement. Conceptually it fit in better as a less distracting element to help the view arrive at an experience that connected them with the elements: water, air and land. We also thought it would refract light better. Other design features were also suggested to help with light reflection and over all attention. We also plan on having some kind of art work at the top and at the bottom.

Our initial drawings: Our concept changed slightly to integrate the traditional Palauan death ceremony. At this next stage we began to consider different materials, such as a glass and concert patterned floor leading from the beginning of the dock to the hole in the center. This hole represented the burial hole in the ground where a body would be placed.

Our initial drawings / Story Broads: These were our story broads that we would include on the pillars. Telling tales of the past and present people of Palau.-

Our initial drawings: As we refine our concept we eliminate the center pillars above and below the main deck for added visibility. It also allows for a greater viewer engagement, as you have an opportunity to stand in the traditional formation of a death ceremony. We decide that plaster cast figures should be placed at the 6 positions around the hypothetical grave, represented by a flag.

Our Presentation: As our first 3d rendering suggestes we have deciced a light color pallete. As evident for the previous visuals we have gone away from the big open circle in the center and the massive stain glass hanging cieling to a rectangular hole and dome top. In terms of praticlaity we know stain glass is hard to maintain which is why we decided not to use this art for the dome top. Although it would reflect the light more vividly and create a greater experiance we felt that the iron work would create a similarly incandecent experiance with light.

Our Material: We chose a white cement with blue glass lithocrete accents for the path way. We also agreed on the iron for the aquatic life railing for the ceiling.

By:Angela Molina

Chi Chi Chen

Hee vvJae Youn

Philippe Quinal

Palau FreedomMemorial

Thank you