A design that calls for a grove of trees reflected infinitely by 12-foot-long mirrors has been selected for the proposed AIDS memorial. The design encompasses the western point of approximately 17,000 square feet triangle-shaped plot of land bordered by Seventh Avenue, 12th Street and Greenwich Avenue in New York City.
The fenced-in site, which is next to the former St. Vincent’s Hospital offering HIV treatment, has 17,000 square feet on the street level, as well as 10,000 square feet below-grade, which the plan proposes to use as exhibition space. Connected by tunnels to St. Vincent’s, the site had been used as a loading dock as well as for storage of liquid oxygen tanks, until the hospital closed in 2010.
Studio a+i’s design, titled “Infinite Forest,” treats the site as two distinct pieces. The main piece is an above-ground park, which is ringed by 12-foot walls on all three sides with entrances at each corner. The sides that face inward, toward benches and a grove of 20 white birch trees, are reflective—an effect that could be achieved with highly-polished stainless steel. The mirrored walls are designed to create the appearance of boundless space inside the park.
The proposed memorial will feature a place for meditation and learning alongside the larger park designed by Rick Parisi of M. Paul Friedberg and Partners and constructed by Rudin Management Company as part of their redevelopment of the former hospital campus.
To present the design before the Community Board 2, the design team issued the following statement: “The memorial is composed of three inter-connected elements that are inspired by the shelter provided from a dense grove of trees, and the visual impact created when trees within that canopy are lost. The elements include a planted canopy creating a sheltered area that defines the memorial space, a reflective water feature providing a focal point for meditation, and a narrative surface design of concentric rings creating an opportunity for sharing and learning.”
