Competition success: A memorial for the deceased of the Swiss Armed Forces

The artist andreasschneider and the architect Philipp Schallnau placed a fine stele and a brass ground band with inscriptions in the landscape of the Lucerne Allmend – between the Eichwald forest, roads, the buildings of the Lucerne army and training centre and an important non-motorised traffic link; a pavilion provides shelter for mourners.

The subtle terrain modelling by Fontana plays around the ribbon, allowing it to emerge as a profile and then sink back into the ground as an inlay. Subtle interventions in the landscape sensitively guide pedestrians and cyclists past the memorial and embed the new element in the landscape.

The interdisciplinary project convinced the jury in a two-phase process with an open competition for ideas and a subsequent study commission. We are pleased to have contributed to the design and the success of the competition.