Our client had an infinite budget but was not going to pay us
When Buildner asked us to design a memorial in response to nuclear warfare, our jaw dropped. They listed out the parameters:
· Site: A decommissioned testing site in Nevada.
· Timeline: Six months to produce a schematic design with renderings.
· Budget: Unlimited
· Payout: $0, unless the design is award-winning.
If you have not caught on yet, Buildner is an Architecture Competitions Platform, and we entered The Last Nuclear Bomb Memorial Competition, Edition #3.
Figure 1 Early Conceptualization using AI
Staring at a blank slate
We chose to participate in this competition because of its’ uniqueness and ambiguity. We were allowed to choose the site with the only limitation being it must be a decommissioned nuclear weapon testing site, which were plentiful. The building program was entirely our decision, and the concept must be submitted on a single spread without text description. The entire competition brief:
“For this architecture competition, participants are tasked with creating a memorial in a decommissioned nuclear weapon testing site.
In response to the global silence surrounding the issue of nuclear weapons, participants in the Last Nuclear Bomb Memorial / Edition #3 competitions must submit their designs with no description text. The architecture ideas must be communicated strictly with visuals. We are asking participants to design a building or structure in which the architecture would do all the talking.
There is no competition program defined. Participants my propose any functionality and scale.”
And with that, the challenge begins. We were sitting in front of a blank slate with almost zero guidelines.
Figure 2 Early conceptualization using AI
Impossible lasts only until someone proves otherwise
In our everyday work, we are constantly designing based on what we know. The beauty of a hypothetical competition like this is the invitation to take on a design that may not work in our current world. As we were brainstorming outcomes for a memorial structure, artificial intelligence entered our office at high speed. Although we could stretch toward the depths of our human subconscious to imagine endless possibilities, why not explore the wondrous impossibilities with text to image AI? We consulted the speediest, most creative illustrator we knew: Midjourney.
Figure 3 Early conceptualization using AI
Do not get stuck in a loop
After countless hours of research, brainstorming, team charettes, and Midjourney rabbit holes, we had plenty of information to help us move forward. With more iterations than we could mentally handle, we had to choose a direction. There are always points in a project, particularly the beginning, where you can get stuck in an infinite design loop. We were in that loop for quite some time.
Competitions are a game to make the best design, but the best design is established by the critics. And previous projects can help us analyze a critic’s subconscious biases. One thing we noticed about the previous winners was the theme of an ever-changing environment over an in-determinant about of time. We latched onto this idea.
Figure 4 Iterative design using AI. The persistent growth of fungus was a recurring theme during the initial design charettes.
It’s all in the visuals
A major challenge we faced in this competition was showcasing the project without the use of text. It was a silent submission, meaning we were prohibited from submitting text description. We constantly questioned how we translated the feeling of the project without writing, “This is what it feels like”. Although this is a challenge, it helped us think how to visually share our ideas within and beyond this competition.
We decided to move forward with two submissions. Several of our initial designs revolved around fungus and growth, so one of our projects was destined to move in this direction. Our second submission was formulated around the use of natural sunlight: a concept we hadn’t seen much from previous submissions.
Submission #1: Spore
Figure 6 “Spore” brings awareness to the 9,500 nuclear warheads in military service.
“Spore” re-imagines a bomb, a symbol of death and destruction, as a bringer of life and growth. Each panel shows a stage in the creation and evolution of the memorial over time, from the dropping of a singular vessel housing millions of tiny spores onto a barren landscape, to a sprawling forest of mycological networks that can be explored by humans. The orb containing the initial growth material for the spores is etched with the geo-political boundaries of the earth; spores start their growth from the areas of the world that currently house nuclear war heads, but they eventually cover the globe. Much like the effects of nuclear war.
Submission #2: The Shadow
Figure 7 “The Shadow” shines light on the infamous shadow people caused by the nuclear bombs dropped in Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
“The Shadow” pays tribute to real human lives affected by wartime nuclear detonations. When the nuclear bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, anyone within a half mile radius of the center was instantly vaporized, many of which resulted in shadow figures etched into existing infrastructure. The wall featured in this memorial is punctured with carvings that depict real shadow people. Each year, at the time this massive crater was created, the sunlight will shine through the figures illuminating them in crisp detail. Visitors are encouraged to walk above and amongst the “shadows” but only for a moment, as the light will disappear as quickly as it came.
Our results
While we felt great about both submissions, neither were recognized. How do you think we did? Let us know your thoughts and please ask us questions if you have them. If you want to know more about the project background, check out the full project brief at Buildner.com.