Odd Goose Egg Design Wins UN Memorial Competition, World Scratches Heads
Written by John Mackey
As the hometown of the new United Nation’s General Secretary, the South Korean city of Chungju is plenty proud of its native son, Mr. Moon. Ban Ki-Moon is only the eighth secretary in UN history, and since all seven former secretaries seem to require something built in their honor, Chungju got in the game by holding an international design competition for a massive new UN Memorial Hall to be built on the beautiful Namhanang River. The monument will commemorate the UN’s involvement in the Korean War.
The Strange Moon Sphere that Took 1st Place:
And the Sweet Design that Should Have Won…
London’s ACME group submitted a unique design that reflected the “collective” spirit of the UN. The design is comprised of a series of cubes that organically blend into a cohesive whole. ACME explained that the “memorial should represent the nature of the United Nations, where many individual nations come together to create one entity, but without losing their individual identities.”
The stark exterior is in direct contrast to the stunning interiors of the structure. Large, sun-filled atriums house a 1,500-seat assembly, theater, two conference halls and exhibition space. Alas, the ACME Cube was boxed up and sent home with only a third-place ribbon and the sobering reality of having lost out to, of all things, an orb. Taking a page from Darth Vader’s Death Star, the winning design is a huge metal mesh globe that sits by the river like an aluminum goose egg. Now, Ban Ki-Moon may not be another Boutros Boutros-Ghali (a UN Secretary so nice they named him twice), but come on, Chungju, you can do your homeboy better than that metal moon monolith!
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I actually like the ACME group design. It is attractive without being overstated. It has the appearance of stone, yet its glass will ensure changing colors as the sun moves through the sky. Well done!