Five design teams have been shortlisted to design the Grenfell Tower Memorial, eight years after the deadly blaze
The Grenfell memorial design shortlist’s five design teams will now go through a second round of evaluation before a winner is decided.
The commission was originally launched in July last year and received 28 applications from teams overall.
The Grenfell memorial design shortlist will now interact with the community
The teams are multi-disciplinary, including architects, landscape architects, community engagement specialists, and various other disciplines.
The process of evaluating the teams was based on containing the right skills, capabilities, and awareness of the event, and due diligence checks were undertaken to ensure any team, organisation, or individual that may work on the memorial bears no responsibility for the tragedy originally happening in the first place.
Co-chairs of the Grenfell Memorial Commission, Thelma Stober and Lord Paul Boateng, said: “We have given our word, from the outset, that the voices of the entire Grenfell community must take priority in the memorial decision-making process, both now and in the future.
We hope that bereaved families, survivors and those living close to Grenfell Tower, will feel able to participate in the selection of a design team and, later on, contribute to the co-design of the memorial, in whichever way feels appropriate and meaningful for them. This will ensure that the final design embodies a profound tribute to the 72 lives lost and provides a lasting place for loved ones to pay their respects, mourn, and feel connected to their memories.”
The current shortlist includes:
- Curl La Tourelle + Head Architecture
- Freehaus
- George King Architects x Grow to Know
- New South
- Office Sian
The teams will now meet with the community around Grenfell, including bereaved families of those that died, survivors of the incident, and the immediate community around the tower.
It is for these people and the people that lost their lives that the winners of the competition will design an appropriate, bold, and long-lasting memorial for.
In this second round, the teams will need to demonstrate relevant, professional and specialist expertise in areas such as architecture and landscape architecture, and structural and mechanical engineering, as well as strong collaboration with communities.
The winning team will be announced in summer 2025
A planning application is expected to be sent late next year once the winner has been picked this year.
Community representatives of the Grenfell Tower Memorial Commission said: “Having a shortlist of teams brings us another step closer to turning the Grenfell community’s memorial vision into a physical reality.
“Through this process, we intend to identify and appoint a specialist and worthy design team. One that has proven experience of working on sensitive and community-focused projects, and who can leave no doubt in our minds about the integrity with which they will approach the vital task of designing a beautiful and fitting future memorial.
“Our 72 loved ones, and our community, deserve nothing less.”
Co-chairs of the Commission, Thelma Stober and Lord Paul Boateng, said: “We have given our word, from the outset, that the voices of the entire Grenfell community must take priority in the memorial decision-making process, both now and in the future.
“We hope that bereaved families, survivors and those living close to Grenfell Tower, will feel able to participate in the selection of a design team and, later on, contribute to the co-design of the memorial, in whichever way feels appropriate and meaningful for them. This will ensure that the final design embodies a profound tribute to the 72 lives lost and provides a lasting place for loved ones to pay their respects, mourn, and feel connected to their memories.”
Jane Duncan, chair of the Royal Institute of British Architect’s Fire Safety Expert Advisory Group since 2017, said: “It has been a huge honour to work with the Grenfell Tower Memorial Commission and RIBA on the international search for an outstanding multi-disciplinary design team for this memorial.
“The number and quality of the initial entries and the compassion, thoughtfulness, and clarity of the entrants’ desire to undertake this important community-led commission have quite blown away the Grenfell Tower Memorial Commission and the other evaluators.
“As we commence the second phase of the design team selection process, I am excited to meet the teams, and I have every confidence that one will soon be demonstrating their exemplary design, management, and skills to both local and international communities.”
