Tsunami Memorial_ VeeV Design

Blending the natural and built environments, VeeV Design hopes to create a reflective atmosphere in which the built structure contrasts the destruction and devastation caused by the 2011 tsunamis in Japan.


“We intentionally propose a gentle recasting of memorial conventions: discrete sites of contemplation modestly submit to the power of the land itself,” explained the architects.

Weaving through Japan's National Forest, the memorial takes advantage of the entire site with paths designed for the exploration of nature and the creation of small natural spaces to reflect and remember. The building itself aims to blend in with the surrounding forest, minimizing the effect of the built environment.

“The surface wrinkles and warbles, making art of erosion, reminding us of its awesome power and the human predicament and paradox of honoring nature, fighting nature, and forgetting and finding ourselves in it,” explained the architects.