NYC Memorial to Puerto Rico
Rendering by SCF Arquitectos
I am a mega fan girl for New York’s Governor Andrew Cuomo right now, but this is the cherry on top. Governor Cuomo has chosen a design and is paying tribute to Puerto Rico with a memorial designed by Puerto Rican architect Segundo Cardona and artist Antonio Martorell. The memorial is being created in respect to Hurricane Maria which caused massive amounts of damage, flooding, months long blackouts, and thousands of deaths.
Rendering by SCF Arquitectos
The design is an interactive walkthrough that uses a basic mathematic spiral shape. The design features colorful swirls of glass and is topped with the star of Puerto Rico. The shape represents natural movements of both shells and hurricanes. Segundo writes “The spiral has a formal relationship with the shape of both hurricanes and shells, and shells are by nature a protection for living organisms against a hostile environment such as extreme weather.”
Rendering by SCF Arquitectos
Staying true to Puerto Ricans the spiral glass will be painted by Martorell which will include the poem “Farewell From Welfare Island,” by Julia de Burgos (truth be told, I am not sure I like the poem much but c'est la vie.)
Rendering by SCF Arquitectos
As an island there has been a solid (3) years of very hard times for Puerto Ricans. I love that the city/state that I live in, while hundreds of miles away from me, will have a designated place/space to reflect and feel more connected. I think the only thing that is now missing is the family and the beach…. But for now this is a great moment. Thank you Cuomo! Once again you give me hope and smiles.