Coldefy with RDAI | HHCP Selected to Design the National Pulse Memorial & Museum

Courtesy of Coldefy & Associés with RDAI_onePULSE Foundation

Written by Christele Harrouk
Published on November 01, 2019

OnePULSE Foundation has selected Coldefy & Associés with RDAI, Orlando-based HHCP Architects, Xavier Veilhan, dUCKS scéno, Agence TER, and Prof. Laila Farah, to design the National Pulse Memorial & Museum.

The team led by Coldefy & Associés, a firm specialized in multi-disciplinary, collaborative design in architectural, urban and artistic projects and environments, presented a design that features a reflecting pool encircling the Pulse building. In fact, to honor the 49 victims, the architects chose a palette of 49 colors to line the basin and radiate towards a peaceful garden planted with 49 trees. The project is not final, it serves as a starting point open for further discussions. The winning team will have a year to refine their proposal, integrating the community’s feedback.

We are very honored that our team has been selected by the onePULSE Foundation to continue this journey together. This is a deeply meaningful project that reminds us how much architecture and landscape can influence our behavior and have an impact on our community; it's a project that already transcends our entire team in a beautiful, collective adventure […] Together, we have an opportunity to reclaim a place from terror and darkness and create a new reality, one that brings people together in celebration of joy and love. -- Thomas Coldefy, principal of Coldefy & Associés.

After the six finalist teams developed their concept designs, the jury selected the winning project following a public viewing and comment period in early October, where over 2,300 statements from victim’s families, survivors, first responders, and the public were collected and reviewed.

The Jury stated that the chosen design “best reflected the interests expressed by the community, demonstrated design excellence, inventiveness, creativity, and alignment with onePULSE’s core values”. Actually, commenting on the project, a mother of one of the people killed in the tragedy wrote that “this design is the one that I personally fell in love with. It gives me peaceful memories and reflections of remembering our 49 Angels. The water running calms the soul. The opening beam of light shining towards the heavens confirms to me that our Angels are watching over us”.

The National Pulse Memorial & Museum will honor the 49 lives taken and all those affected while also educating visitors and future generations on the profound impact the tragedy had on Orlando, the U.S. and the world, […] We are excited to work with Coldefy with RDAI | HHCP and the full team, whose next step is to embark on a master plan for the project, which will include robust community engagement. -- Barbara Poma, onePULSE Foundation CEO.

OnePULSE Foundation was established to honor and preserve the legacy of the 49 killed and all those affected by the June 12, 2016 Pulse nightclub tragedy. The National Pulse Memorial, museum and educational center “will pay tribute to all those affected by the Pulse tragedy and serve as an important place for dialogue and education acting as a catalyst for positive change”.