Great Design: Maya Lin
In a lecture for one of my design studios, I saw Maya Lin’s design for the Washington War Memorial. To say the least I was blown away.
Built in late 1982, the Washington Vietnam Veterans Memorial is a stunning example of how concept alone can carry design. At only 20, Lin entered the competition to design the memorial. The great thing about it was that the guidlines for entry allowed for a ‘long-leash’ of creativity. Designers only faced the following criteria:
- Design must be be reflective and contemplative in character
- Design must be in harmony with its surroundings
- Design must make no political statement about the war
- Design must begin to start the healing process
Lin took two of these four literally and you’ll never guess how she did. To say the least, it blew my mind and I’ll explain in detail in a moment.
It was said one of the great things about the then-university student’s submission was its simplicity. It communicated the idea potently and straightfowardly. The idea was naked and there for all to see.
Lin's submission was simple. She also used Trajan
The result of her winning entry is a memorial that is literally a carving into a Washington park. It is made up of two masonry walls, 250 feet (75 m) long and 10 feet (3 m) high, both sunk into the ground that forms a permanent scar. It’s a wound on an America recovering from the disaster that was the Vietnam War and inside the wound is where the healing will take place.
She wanted people to be able to express their greif and cry within the memorial. Again, Lin’s idea was that visitors’ tears, like salt water, would clean and purify the wound. How bloody good is that?
But wait, there’s more. The walls are polished stone, so you see your own reflection in the context of so much death. It literally makes you take a good, hard look at yourself.
Lin's concept took 'reflection' literally and it worked
But again, there’s more. Lin had all names placed in chronological and not alphabetical order. This forced those looking for a name to scan the names of the dead for hours and in doing so understanding the magnitude of the war.
Lin herself explained it best. She described the concept as “A sharp pain that lessens with time, but can never quite heal over. A scar.”
This is how a concept, without much design or architectural experience, can carry an entire project. Quality and the beginning of the design process is worth more than final sugar.
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