I was looking at Irish Hunger Memorial in NYC
So basically it is part of an Irish village, the ruins of the stone cottages after people left their homes. You go up from the street level and enter this "Disney Land"- like village to remember the Irish immigration to America.
It's a bit too literal, but one interesting thing is the contrast between the present and the past. (in the materials maybe? and also the clean finish of the base part, it becomes messy and more natural when it goes up) I think it also tries to play with the idea of going from darkness to light, it is not that strong though.
I was also looking at the Japanese Immigration memorial in Brazil.
To me, it is using metaphorical elements to abstract the idea of immigration. The path which is going slightly up, the formal gestures, the simple material and also water as a dividing element are all metaphors to showcase the "passing" form on place to another.
None of these examples are buildings obviously. I'm starting to ponder about the narrative in a building. Maybe it doesn't have to be necessarily a series of ramps or stairs (the things that I'm struggling with right now). Or maybe ramps or corridors are not the best way to show the moments of the history. Maybe it doesn't have to be so powerfully present. I'm thinking about other ways to curate the experience in the building without making it imposing to the visitor. Invisible path maybe? Some kind of transitions between spaces that you are not extremely aware of the presence of it.
I am sort of revisiting a lot of my initial thoughts, maybe it is not a really good time though!
More thoughts and design stuff coming soon...
Keep in mind that given the scale of your site and the connectivity intentions that arose from your last presentation, these precedents are very much as relevant as any architectural (building) precedent. The transitions between spaces are notably important given your situation with the connections to the public park, the waterfront, the neighborhood, and certainly any transportation network. They will all require the same level of sensitivity that you have already begun putting into the design of the pathway(s) in the building itself.
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