The first stage of a search to find designers for a memorial commemorating the Manchester Arena attack closes this Friday.
The tender process is inviting suitably qualified design and creative teams to set out their approach to the memorial, which remembers the 22 people killed in the attack and those who were injured or otherwise affected.
A location for the planned memorial was chosen by the Manchester Memorial Advisory Group, an independent body made up of civic and business leaders leading on the development of the memorial, again in discussion with the families. The site is between Manchester Cathedral and Chetham’s School of Music, at the foot of Fennel Street and close to the Arena within the city’s Medieval Quarter.
Manchester’s Medieval Quarter is currently undergoing wider regeneration which will see a new public area created along the River Irwell, extending the space at Cathedral Gardens and creating a green and calm backdrop to the planned memorial.
The brief says that the commissioned memorial must create a tranquil environment for reflection and be suitably integrated into the setting of the proposed public open space, acting as a focal point for it.
Malcolm Press, chair of the Manchester Memorial Advisory Group, said: “The views of the families who have lost loved ones have been, and will continue to be, right at the heart of our work.
“Getting to this point has involved a careful process which we have sought to make as thorough and inclusive as possible to ensure an appropriate and enduring memorial. This is an important milestone on that journey.”
Further information about the memorial tender can be found at The Chest.
