Each aspect of the design in a memorial has a dual responsibility to fulfill. A memorial by definition has to sustain and elicit the memory of the tragedy for the general populace. In this sense it is rooted in the past. Twenty years since the tragedy and for much longer in the future the memorial has to stand against the human tendency to forget. It has to commemorate the past while being relevant to the present and the future. Hence the design has to include time, human activity and community perceptions as tangible elements in the planning stages itself so that the memorial continues to evolve even after it is built. The Formulation of the program was a crucial step in this direction; it would determine to a large the extent the sphere of influence and continued relevance of the memorial. The program elements would be instruments that engender their own evolution guided by time and process. The competition brief was open ended and provided ample scope to include elements which would ensure that the memorial design, while being the conclusion of one process, would be a catalyst and evolving point for many more.

cont'd... The Design Process: Documentation