Freehaus and Office Sian are among the five architecture studios shortlisted to create the memorial for victims of the Grenfell Tower fire, selected by The Grenfell Tower Memorial Commission and RIBA.
Also shortlisted are Curl La Tourelle Head Architecture, New South and George King Architects with Grow to Know.
The five practices were chosen from a list of 28 multidisciplinary studios as part of a contest organised by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) to “create a bold, fitting, and lasting memorial to remember the 72 victims who lost their lives in, and those whose lives were forever changed by the devastating Grenfell Tower fire”.
The next step is for the studios to go through a second evaluation, which will include meeting the bereaved families as well as Grenfell survivors and people living near the tower.
Planning application intended for 2026
The final team is set to be announced this summer and the Grenfell Tower Memorial design is expected to be developed enough to allow for a planning application in late 2026.
“We have given our word, from the outset, that the voices of the entire Grenfell community must take priority in the memorial decision-making process, both now and in the future,” said co-chairs of the Grenfell Tower Memorial Commission Thelma Stober and Lord Paul Boateng.
“We hope that bereaved families, survivors and those living close to Grenfell Tower will feel able to participate in the selection of a design team and, later on, contribute to the co-design of the memorial, in whichever way feels appropriate and meaningful for them,” they added.
“This will ensure that the final design embodies a profound tribute to the 72 lives lost and provides a lasting place for loved ones to pay their respects, mourn, and feel connected to their memories.”
Shortlist brings community “another step closer” to memorial vision
The shortlisted studios were evaluated to ensure they had the right skills to undertake the memorial work, as well as awareness of the Grenfell Tower disaster.
They were also subject to due diligence checks to make sure that the people, teams or organisations working on the memorial do “not bear any potential responsibility for the tragedy”.
The selection process for the designers was launched in July 2024 after the publication in 2023 of the Grenfell Commission’s second report, which detailed the Grenfell community’s wishes for a permanent memorial for the victims.
“Having a shortlist of teams brings us another step closer to turning the Grenfell community’s memorial vision into a physical reality,” the Grenfell Tower Memorial Commission’s ten community representatives said.
“Through this process, we intend to identify and appoint a specialist and worthy design team, one that has proven experience of working on sensitive and community-focused projects, and who can leave no doubt in our minds about the integrity with which they will approach the vital task of designing a beautiful and fitting future memorial.”
“Our 72 loved ones, and our community, deserve nothing less.”
The devastating Grenfell Tower fire in 2017 took the lives of 72 people after it spread via the building’s external cladding system.
An inquiry into the disaster, which concluded in 2024, found that the architecture studio that refurbished the 1970s tower “bears a very significant degree of responsibility for the disaster”.
In an opinion piece for Dezeen, expert witness Paul Hyett said the findings should serve as a stark warning to architects to ensure they fully understand their contractual responsibilities.
