July 22 National Memorials

In the wake of the terrorist attacks on 22 July 2011 in Norway, the Government decided that memorial sites, commemorating those killed, the survivors, emergency service personnel and volunteers, should be established at Sørbråten on land facing the island of Utoya and in the Government Quarter in Oslo.

We explored the complex issues for each memorial through the theme of “Immersive Reflections.” Our designs not only memorialize the loss of victims through their deaths but also commemorate the ongoing spirit of the victims’ lives. Rather than just freezing the trauma of the terrorist events we have proposed spaces in which visitors are active participants in their context, and in remembrance. The simple, contemporary mirror walls facilitate both introspective reflection and an open-ended future.