Foster + Partners has won the competition to design the national
memorial to Queen Elizabeth II.
Five finalist teams were asked to create a masterplan that would
honour and celebrate Queen Elizabeth's extraordinary life of
service and provide the public with a space for reflection.
Foster + Partners' winning design concept celebrates Queen
Elizabeth's life through a time of great change, balancing
tradition and modernity, public duty and private faith, the
United Kingdom and a global Commonwealth. The design concept
illustrates how she brought these dualities together: two gates,
two gardens, joined by a bridge and unifying path.
Foster + Partners' design concept features figurative sculptures
and a new Prince Philip Gate. It also features gardens –
dedicated to the Commonwealth and the communities of the United
Kingdom – to create spaces for reflection and coming together.
Artistic installations will celebrate the nation's diversity. A
new bridge, replacing the existing Blue Bridge, will feature a
cast-glass balustrade that recalls Queen Elizabeth's wedding
tiara.
This design concept will be subject to change as it
undergoes refining.
The Queen Elizabeth Memorial Committee's selection panel found
Foster + Partners', design, balancing formal and informal
elements, impressive and capable of creating an engaging landmark
to endure for generations to come. The panel also valued Foster +
Partners' artistry, use of space, technical skills and their
sensitivity to the memorial's location.
The winning team includes artist Yinka Shonibare and celebrated
landscape designer, Michel Desvigne.
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster said:
Queen Elizabeth II was admired around the globe. Foster +
Partners' fantastic design concept will be a beautiful memorial
to Her life and legacy of public service. Situated in the heart
of our capital, it will be a space to reflect on and celebrate
our longest reigning Monarch for centuries to come.
The panel selected Foster + Partners' design concept from a
shortlist of proposals by five leading multidisciplinary teams.
During the competition the public were encouraged to give their
views on the design concepts to commemorate the UK's longest
reigning Monarch.
The Committee also consulted experts in arts, heritage,
architecture, structural engineering, placemaking and
accessibility to find the best concept to honour Queen Elizabeth.
Committee Chair said:
Selecting the winner was no easy task. All five of the
shortlisted teams produced creative designs of the highest
quality.
Foster + Partners' ambitious and thoughtful masterplan will
allow us and future generations to appreciate Queen Elizabeth's
life of service as she balanced continuity and change with strong
values, common sense and optimism throughout her long
reign.
Committee member Valerie Amos said:
Foster + Partners' design brings
to life Queen Elizabeth's many contributions to
the lives of people across the United Kingdom and the
Commonwealth. Their ambitious design will create
a beautiful space for people to come
together, reflect on her legacy and share
stories for generations to come.
Founder and Executive Chairman of Foster + Partners Norman Foster
said:
It is an honour and a privilege for our team to be awarded this
project. Her Majesty loved history and tradition, so this is
reflected in the inspiration of the original design of St James's
Park by Sir . Some of his principles have
survived, whilst others have been lost and will be restored,
creating a family of gardens joined by gently meandering paths.
I knew The Queen on formal occasions but also enjoyed her
informality when attending events as a member of the Order of
Merit. We have sought to reflect these qualities of the formal
and informal in our design, with an appeal across a wide range of
ages and interests. To these ends, we have discreetly stretched
the boundaries of art and technology with a deliberately gentle
intervention. Our design will have the minimum impact on the
nature and biodiversity of the Park and it will be phased to
ensure that the precious route across it will never be closed.
At the heart of our masterplan is a translucent bridge symbolic
of Her Majesty as a unifying force, bringing together nations,
countries, the Commonwealth, charities and the armed forces.
Foster + Partners will now develop its initial concept in close
partnership with the Queen Elizabeth Memorial Committee. They
will work together to select a sculptor to design the memorial's
figurative element. The Committee will announce the sculptor
later this year.
The memorial will be located in St James's Park, an area of
historical and constitutional significance, which also has a
personal connection to Queen Elizabeth II. It will include an
area of the Park adjacent to The Mall at Marlborough Gate, an
area adjacent to Bird Cage Walk and replace the existing bridge
between the two with a new crossing.
The final design will be formally announced in April 2026,
alongside a legacy programme, to coincide with what would have
been Queen Elizabeth's hundredth birthday year.
