World architects vying to build national holocaust memorial show designs in London

A public exhibition displaying the designs for a national holocaust memorial close to the Houses of Parliament here have gone on show at Westminster.

From a huge misshaped rock resembling a meteorite, to contemplative gardens, ten shortlisted design teams are bidding to win the go-ahead to build what will be one of the most important pieces of art work in the British capital for a generation.

The display, in historic Westminster Hall, will remain open to the public until March 7.

The new National Holocaust Memorial and accompanying education center will stand in Victoria Tower Gardens in the shadow of the British Parliament.

The new structure selected from the shortlist will honor victims and survivors of Nazi persecution before and during World War II.

An international design competition sought to attract the very best in architectural talent to create an emotionally powerful and sensitively designed memorial. From the more than 90 teams who expressed an interest in the project, ten were invited to submit conceptual designs for display as part of the new exhibition.

Among the shortlisted is a design by Anish Kapoor and Zaha Hadid Architects which shows a line of cypress trees leading to a giant rock that resembles a meteorite, with an underground learning center.

An entry from a U.S. team, known as Allied Works, proposed a memorial that was not an object but the creation of a sacred space to serve the voices of survivors. The team described it as rising from the grounds of Victoria Tower Gardens and woven into the daily life of London. Endit