Yokosuka Central Park was used as a "turret" during World War II. Therefore, we designed a monument of lighted turrets of peace. After dark, this monument becomes a "Light of Peace Turret" that shines the light of peace into the sky, representing the axis of universal peace. The light, which is over 1000 meters long, can be seen from a distance, allowing people to feel the thoughts of peace in their daily lives. Even if the town loses power in the event of a disaster, the lights are designed to be turned on by a generator, leading people like a lighthouse to the park that serves as a wide-area evacuation site.
The axis of peace has been added to the landscape of Yokosuka, supporting the lives of the approximately 20,000 residents living nearby as a new landscape. The ceiling and the central column of the monument are decorated with many circles. A circle, which has meant infinity since ancient times, is drawn by citizens with their wishes for peace and engraved on the monument. We used the sea breeze blowing from the high ground of the park to create the pattern of the carved circles. The hand-drawn circles were carefully punched one by one with a laser. We incorporated the memories of the turret into the design of the monument, such as the bricks used in the turret at that time, the cherry blossoms engraved on the bricks, and the shape of the base. The cherry blossom crest printed on the bricks of the former turret was captured by a 3D scanner and reproduced as a texture for the concrete foundation.
The hope of the people and the memories of the land were engraved on the monument. During the day, the monument is bathed in sunlight and the light leaking from the circles that people have painted on the monument allows visitors to feel a sense of peace. At night, it is filled with small circles of light filled with people's wishes for peace, which harmonize with the grains of light from the houses seen from the hill, and the words of peace from around the world appear. We did not just build a monument, we tried to create a new landscape.
The pillar of light also serves as a kind of calendar that tells residents about seasons and anniversaries by lighting up in different colors on special days. Recently, a blue and yellow peace pillar was lit to wish for peace in Ukraine. It has become a place where many people can pray for peace around the world. We decided to involve citizens in the design because we feel that it is important to connect with people now that the COVID-19 disaster is upon us. And by combining the memories of the past with the monuments, we hope that they will be loved by people of all ages for a long time to come.
Team:
Architect: Hakuten Corporation
Creative Director: Seiichi Saito (Panoramatiks)
Producer: Nozomi Yamaguchi (Panoramatiks)
Designer: Takumi Takahashi (HAKUTEN)
Producer: Hiroki Takahashi (HAKUTEN) / ShuntaroKono (HAKUTEN)
Construction Manager: Yoshihiro Watanabe (HAKUTEN)
Photo credits: Nacasa & Partners Inc. | Akira Arai
Material Used:
1. Facade cladding: Stainless steel
2. Flooring: Concrete
3. Roofing: Stainless steel
4. Lighting: LDP-500
