The Mosaic Memorial for Mandela
CapeTown - South Africa
CapeTown - South Africa
The Mosaic Memorial for Mandela emerges as a representation of Mandela's lifetime and his notion and values in life: Self-reflection and equality. As the name states, 'mosaic' pattern concept symbolizes fragments of Mandela's life that can inspire people through their experience within the proposed memorial.
It is the selected site's crucual location and its natural boundaries that enrich the aimed representation: The merging setting of the chosen site aims to re-link the 'history - the past of Mandela' with the Table Mountain representing his rural origin and youth - with his 'further emphasized values strengthened through the continual self-awareness during his imprisonment days in Robben Island.
The proposal's adjacency to a commonly occupied (Green Point) Cape Town Stadium enable an ease of access to the site and offers yet another exemplary design innovation within the city. The round plot of the chosen site identifies the inevitably generated 'loop' of a lifetime - the history/memory of events - and the recurrent self-reflection that Mandela dwelled upon throughout his time in prison.
The Mosaic Memorial's cicrular form attempts to reinterpret Mandela's lifetime within an empirical journey, in which one not only educates oneself through Mandela's engraved timeline along paved ramps, but also opens up to a unique experience, in which a continuous self-reflection via the mirrored wall surfaces increases awareness within oneself. The rounded, semi-enclosed space additionally portays the balance of the design, in return symbolizing Mandela's belief of 'equality'.
The central part of the design highlights an influential part of Mandela's life with a triangulated, metal canopy that floats above the core of the proposal surrounded be a water rim, all combined mimicking the Robben Island Prison. The varied column configurations derive from the triangulation methodology that originally sculpt the perforated canopy, not only behave as structural entities, but also enhance the environmental aspects of the design: Shading and an uninterrupted airflow that augment outdoor comfort. Moreover, the water ponds through which the structure rises further contribute to the comfort achieved via the proposal's sustainable design approach, which allow for evaporative cooling to take place during the warmer season.
The overall design - with its minimal impact onto the existing land - aims to provide for a public gathering space,in which people can learn about Mandela's vision, interact with one another and ultimately self-reflect.
