Small London practice picked from shortlist of five with final design to be unveiled in 2027
London-based practice Freehaus has been chosen to lead the design of a permanent memorial to the 72 people who lost their lives in the Grenfell Tower fire.
The eight-strong practice has been selected from a shortlist of five teams unveiled in January as part of an international RIBA competition.
It will lead a supplier team including landscape architect BCAL, planning consultant Tibbalds, structural and civil engineer Elliott Wood, cost consultant Appleyard and Trew, fire engineer The Fire Surgery and lighting designer Michael Grubb Studio.
The practice will also work with Nigerian British writer and poet Yomi Şode on the design of the memorial, which will be unveiled in 2027.
Concept pictures are yet to be released but design elements agreed prior to the competition by the Grenfell community include height, water, light, art, names, and the inclusion of materials from the remains of the tower, which is being dismantled.
The team was selected by an evaluation panel consisting of representatives from the Grenfell community, including bereaved and survivor families, who Freehaus will work with closely over the next two years to develop the final design.
The panel also included the Grenfell Tower Memorial Commission’s independent design advisers Jane Duncan, RIBA past-president and the institute’s competitions architect adviser, and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.
The other four shortlisted teams were Curl La Tourelle and Head Architecture, George King Architects and Grow to Know, New South and Office Sian.
As part of the evaluation process, which took place from April to September this year, members of the Grenfell community reviewed initial proposals by the five shortlisted teams before viewing a set of final presentations in September.
The Grenfell Tower Memorial Commission said it feels “confident that the right team has been selected to walk this road with us”.
“Creating a memorial that truly reflects our community’s hopes, needs and memories will only be achieved through the continued involvement of the bereaved families, the survivors and those that live metres from Grenfell Tower,” the commission’s community representatives said.
Duncan, who has also been chair of RIBA’s fire safety expert advisory group since 2017, described Freehaus as a “truly exceptional multi-disciplinary design team”.
She added: “The team brings strong leadership, deep experience and outstanding communication and listening skills, combined with humility, sensitivity and genuine humanity.
“Through their thoughtful and collaborative approach, they will support the community through the achingly-tough decisions still to come as the memorial is co-designed and delivered.”
Freehaus directors Jonathan Hagos and Tom Bell said in a joint statement: “We’re honoured to have been chosen to design the memorial to the 72 people who lost their lives in the Grenfell Tower tragedy.
“Over the last year we have been invited to listen to the experiences of those most affected by the tragedy and we are grateful to all who have shared so openly the lasting impacts of that night.
“We are now looking ahead to working closely with the bereaved, survivors, and the rest of the Grenfell community, to design a fitting memorial for the many lives so tragically lost.
“As we take our first steps in this journey, we want to acknowledge the eight years of advocacy and purposeful action led by the Grenfell community that has brought us here. The design of this future memorial is a responsibility that we do not take lightly.”
Freehaus’ past projects include the refurbishment of the Africa Centre headquarters in Southwark, the Rising Green Youth Hub in Wood Green and the 639 Community Enterprise Centre in Tottenham.
The Grenfell Tower Memorial Commission includes six bereaved family members, three former residents of Grenfell Tower and Grenfell Walk who lost their homes, three residents from the surrounding Lancaster West Estate and one from the immediate community.
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