Snug Architects have won the international design competition for The Wall of Answered Prayer, a global competition with the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA)
The Wall of Answered Prayer was announced at an exclusive ceremony at The Birmingham Conference and Events Centre and a Parliamentary Reception in London.
Paul Bulkeley, design director at Snug Architects, said: “It is an honour to have been chosen to design and deliver this project of national significance.
“We are excited by the vision behind this ground-breaking project and are looking forward to working with the team. To see it become a reality. At Snug Architects we believe this will be a structure that both inspires and engages visitors for many years to come.”
Snug Architects designed The Wall of Answered Prayer as a dramatic and inspirational national monument of hope to be located at the centre of the UK. The design is based on the topological concept of a Möbius strip and will create an awe-inspiring and dynamic visitor experience that is rich with symbolism.
The Wall of Answered Prayer is the vision of Richard Gamble, former Leicester City Football Club Chaplain, to build a colossal national landmark of hope.
Richard Gamble, chief executive with The Wall of Answered Prayer said: “I have been blown away by the incredible imagination demonstrated in each of the designs put forward but Snug’s entry was truly awe-inspiring and I am confident that the finished article will be equally impressive.
“The Wall has been a dream for 15 years but moved into the realms of reality following a successful Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign. In an effort to give back to the communities who have supported us in getting to this point, we will also be donating one million bricks to social housing projects across the UK.”
The competition received 134 entries from 24 countries. In the final stage of the competition in May 2019, an expert panel selected Snug’s design from five shortlisted entries.
Judges were impressed by the use of a Möbius strip concept to create a continuous loop of wall that allows visitors to process through a gravity defying triumphant arch, before encircling the wall. The arch, with seemingly no support where the strip curves and twists, will be over 40m high with an 80m span. This will make it significantly larger in scale than Antony Gormley’s Angel of the North, which is 20m tall, with wings measuring 54m across.
Snug called on Ramboll’s Digital Building Team and their Engineering Simulation specialists to turn the design into a buildable proposition.
The Wall will be built in a highly visible location next to the M6/M42 motorway junction, the planned route of the HS2 high speed rail line and below the flightpath serving Birmingham airport in the West Midlands, UK.
The start of construction is due in 2020, with completion aimed ahead of the 2022 Commonwealth Games to be held in Birmingham.
The Wall of Answered Prayer delivery team is as follows.
- Snug Architects – Architect & team lead
- Ramboll – Engineering and analysis
- Gleeds – Client advisor
- UBU Design Ltd – Landscape architects
- Ridge – Cost consultants.
