The brief for the site at the entrance to Mount Herzl cemetery, near Jerusalem’s busy streets but in a quiet space excavated from the mountain, was to commemorate all fallen soldiers in wars involving Israel since the late 19th century, together with victims of terrorism. All are represented equally, whether Jewish, Muslim, or from other minorities. The design process developed gradually through dialogue from 2006. Reconstructing the mountain, an undulating funnel-shaped structure of cement-clad aluminium bricks, produced using CNC techniques, rises above a space for personal and collective commemoration, flooding it with ever-changing natural light and ensuring air flow. Spiralling up along a ramp that wraps around this funnel is a continuous, and poignantly continuable, Wall of Names comprising bricks inscribed with the name and death date - in Hebrew and Gregorian form - of individual soldiers. Jerusalem stone exterior cladding insulates against solar radiation and blends the structure into its surroundings.
Source: Aga Khan Trust for Culture
