Forever One Memorial

The initial discovery process involved several listening sessions with small groups made up of families of the 58, survivors, emergency responders and engaged community members. The team gathered valuable insights on the needs and aspirations surrounding the Memorial. This information directly influenced the form and experiential qualities of the proposal. The Memorial has been designed as a holistic journey that incorporates a variety of significant touchpoints, accommodates multiple narratives, and engages a range of audiences. It can be at once a transformative pilgrimage, a place of reflection and remembrance, a thought-provoking storytelling pathway, or a place of gathering and even celebration. The Site. The 2-acre site is located at the corner of E. Reno Avenue and Giles Street. The parcel includes part, but not all, of the site impacted by the events of October 1 and is part of the urban fabric of the Las Vegas Strip. Plan. The Memorial design weaves together many experiences and concepts along a pathway which wraps in and around itself. When viewed from above, the memorial will be seen as an infinity symbol, suggesting a state that extends beyond the confines of time and space, representing everlasting love and eternal memory. The shape will become imprinted into the earth through an expression of light that will be seen from above, including by visitors coming into Harry Reid International Airport. Entry. Visitors will enter the site from Reno Ave, along the north/northeast edges of the site, and will have the opportunity to move into the large Community Plaza or travel along the Pathway leading to the Surround. Pathway. As visitors enter, they will encounter the Rammed Earth Wall, one of the Memorial’s most important and symbolic features. The concept of the site being sacred ground was a significant theme heard in the listening sessions. To express deep reverence for this place, excavated soils will be repurposed to become part of the Memorial. Here, the pathway gently slopes down as the wall extends above. Positioned along the western and southern edges, the Walls are at once symbolic and a device to shield visitors from views of Mandalay Bay. The Remembrance Ring. The Remembrance Ring is a 58' diameter space that will honor each of the 58 victims who lost their lives; 58 vertical, triangular elements are spaced at every 58" on center. These vertical elements - called the 58 Candles – are in recognition of the candlelight vigils that occurred after the shooting. Point of Inflection – The Surround and Tower of Light. A 58’ tall landmark rises where the Memorial’s pathways cross. Two interlocking spirals of colored glass panels rotate, rising upward, can be seen around the site and experienced from below. Underneath, accessible from the path, is the Surround, a 1,600 sf. interior multi-media space that forms a physical and emotional transition point between the northern and southern elements of the Memorial. Community Plaza. Offering a lively and uplifting place to gather and heal, this open-air space will accommodate a range of activities and events.