News | London An international search has begun for a “specialist and worthy” team to design a memorial for the site of Grenfell Tower. Representatives from the local community in west London said the launch of the selection process means the vision for a permanent marker of what happened is “a significant step closer”. The 72 people who died in the June 2017 blaze deserve nothing less than a “beautiful and lasting memorial”, they added.
The aim is to have a final design team selected and announced in spring next year, with hopes that a planning application could be made in 2027 – 10 years on from the fire. The search for a team has been launched by the Grenfell Tower Memorial Commission with the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA). The commission said the intention is to “create a significant, reflective and impactful memorial” to commemorate what happened “and express the love we have for those we have lost and will remember forever”.
The first part of the selection phase is not expected to result in a fixed or final design proposal, it added, saying it is firstly “crucial to find a team with the best people who can adopt a sensitive and inspiring design approach” while working with the community to develop an “early concept”. A report from the commission last year set out a series of recommendations for a “sacred space” designed to be a “peaceful place for remembering and reflecting”. It said the space should include a garden,.