SITE PLAN ZONES

The competition brief stipulated constraints on the site development: Zone A was for the memorial proper, Zones B and C could have landscape modifications.

The primary organizational premise is to create a synthesis of differences complementing the Korean War Veterans Memorial with that commemorating the other southeast asian war, Viet Nam. Where that one is a singular black granite wall forming an angular open space cutting into the ground; this memorial was to have been composed of two white marble walls forming a curvilinear enclosed space rising above the grade level. They relate by these complements and their common symmetry of placement relative to the reflecting pool of the mall and their common focalized views towards the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument.

MEMORIAL PLAN & PLAN OBLIQUE

The memorial plan is an elliptical form expressing the essential duality of issues related to this war: the armistice which ended with there being two Koreas, the south versus the north, democracy versus. communistic totalitarianism.

The enclosing wall is in two parts spliting along the major (east - west) axis of the site dividing it into north and south. The yin-yang Taoist symbol of the South Korean flag is superimposed on itself to create the path system which thus forms an infinity symbol suggesting that the implied union should last forever.

Two dogwood trees occupy the site; the one to the north is a pink dogwood, while the one to the south is a white one.

Seating surrounds the eternal flame of the western focal point of the ellipse which has as its center a pyramid with an eternal flame at its acme.

The eastern focus has a paved plaza to accommodate the activity of marking accoustic space by tolling the cylindrical bell at its elliptical focus.

ACOUSTIC CONCEPT

The memorial walls form an inner sanctum that acoustically buffers the noise of the nearby traffic and by virtue of their geometric properties, serve to create a couple of interesting and poignant acoustic effects.

The arrow shows the repeated reflections of sound of people speaking near the curved wall. Visitors upon entry will, at times, be surprised by the audibilty of channeled distant voices. This may make the space near the walls, where the names of the honored dead are inscribed, assume a more intimate nature than would be sensed without this whispering gallery phenomenon.

The wave diagram (placed cursor over the image) shows how the gongs of the Freedom / Prayer bell would rebound from its point of emanation at one of the elliptical foci and re-focus at the other one, the location of the eternal flame. Since no one may occupy that point in space, the echo reflections would be asynchronous and make a beating sound, like a heart beat.

MEMORIAL SECTIONS

The competition stipulated U.S. flag dominates the composition by its central vignetting in the sky. It also helops to support the freedom / prayer bell which hangs over the eastern focus of the elliptical plan. At the western focus point is located the pyramid, with the all seeing eye of the Great Seal which also bears the eternal flame.

The longitudinal section shows how the grade section forms a subtle solid and void profile (yin-yang) as is the primary symbol of the South Korean flag.

LINCOLN MEMORIAL APPROACH

After passing through a small randomized grove of pink and white dogwoods, the visitor comes to the realization of the presence of the absence, that the memorial is not a solid mound but one with a void at its heart; a space dedicated to the absence of many who have served the cause of freedom.

APPRAOCH FROM WEST

This view, looking straight east, aligns the dichotomous elements of the enclosed space emphasizing the north-south schism assoiciated with this place, a house divided. Notice the focalization on the flag by the mound and the sloped wall to the north.

ETERNAL FLAME

Upon entering, the viisitor senses a change in the aural environment. The street noise is much quieted and at the threshold of entry the voices of other visitors near the wall are channeled to our ears.

Immediately in front is a pyramid which is divided north-south at its base and is surmounted with an eternal flame. The pyramid is a facsimile of the Great Seal of the United States.

The pairing of the pink and white dogwoods is now changed to show them in opposition.

ZEN EMANATIONS

Proceeding east and rounding the central flag pole, we encounter a five foot diameter bronze cylinder. This is the Freedom/Prayer bell which may be sounded by striking it with the ten foot long wooden post suspended from the bronze beam above. The tones of this bell re-focus at the eternal flame after they reflect off the walls forming the elliptical enclosure.

We can identify the two circular symbols above the granite column supports as being elements from the North Korean flag (the encircled star) and the South Korean flag (the yin-yang symbol). Also notice that the two columns have complementary semantic symetry: the white granite of the south/right has a footprint that makes a plus sign while the footprint of the black granite column of the north/left forms a minus sign. The idea posited here is that there may be a future reunification of the two Korea. The columns with their respective bell supports and associated circular symbols are also intended to personify to human figures sharing the support of the Freedom/Prayer bell.

PATH OF RECONCILIATION

After visiting the memorial we may choose to exit east to the solitude of Ash Woods to reflect on the impressions and significance of our visit. The sense of our national origin with its focus on freedom is recalled with the focalized view toward the Washington Monument. Visually aligned with the base of the Washington Monument is a specially grafted dogwood tree that combines pink and white blossoms which, like the support elements of the Freedom/Prayer bell, also suggests an ultimate reunification of the two Koreas.