Arsenal Memory Park

Project idea

The concept is built on a strong, simple, and clearly legible symbolism of white, which unifies the site, exposes what was once concealed, and creates a silent contrast to its violent past. Preserved barracks receive new architectural infills that allow the present to enter history without overwriting it, while the Quiet Grove offers a natural space for grounding and introspection. The Memorial Zone highlights Galpón 9 and the mass‑grave site through restrained gestures—white debris, light, shadow, and a modular steel grid symbolizing the ongoing uncovering of truth. The project aims to commemorate the victims and foster dialogue, education, and civic responsibility, ensuring that the memory of the site remains active and ethically formative.

Project description

Project is structured into three interconnected spatial units that together redefine the former military complex as a coherent memorial environment. The Barracks form the core of active memory: their preserved structures receive new inserted functions—gallery, library, classrooms, conference spaces—which activate the buildings and turn them into carriers of historical memory. The Quiet Grove is a zone defined primarily by nature; its cultivated forest structure guides visitors toward calmness, grounding, and personal reflection. The Memorial Zone highlights Galpón 9 and the mass‑grave site through a restrained symbolic language centered on the strong and clearly legible use of white. These three components create a unified architectural‑landscape system that integrates memory, nature, circulation, and symbolic expression.

Technical information

The project is based on a materially honest approach that contrasts the preserved historical structures with new lightweight insertions. The barracks remain in their original materiality, with exposed masonry and structural frames kept intact. Into these shells, independent infill volumes made from aluminium and steel panels are inserted, clearly expressing the contemporary layer through their lightweight metal construction.Material truthfulness is central: the project works with raw steel, aluminium, concrete, and untreated surfaces. Around Galpón 9, the ground is formed from on‑site demolition debris (brick–concrete–ceramic mix), creating a unified white field that marks the memorial zone. The memorial cubes are made from sandblasted concrete, designed to absorb moisture and reveal the presence of memory embedded in the soil. Memorial grid above the mass‑grave site is constructed from treated steel flat bars and slender steel columns, forming a modular and expandable structure. In the Quiet Grove, the only architectural elements are benches made from surface‑treated aluminium painted white, maintaining visual lightness while reinforcing the project’s symbolic language.All materials are selected for durability, expressive clarity, and their ability to support the strong, simple, and legible symbolism of white that unifies the entire project.

Documentation

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