This is What the Pulse Nighclub Memorial Will Look Like

The onePULSE Foundation has announced the winners of a global competition to design a memorial set to be built on the site of the Pulse nightclub. The structure and a nearby museum will be designed by Coldefy & Associes with RDAI, HHCP Architects, Xavier Veilhan, dUCKS sceno, Agence TER, and Prof. Laila Farah.

After the devastating June 2016 shooting that left 49 people dead at a popular Orlando gay bar, the LGBTQ+ community came together to mourn and to remember those lost. This memorial and museum will honor those victims, as well as the 68 people injured and countless others whose lives were forever changed by the tragedy, which was then the largest mass shooting in U.S. history.

The winning design concept features looping paths, a reflecting pool, and a garden planted with 49 trees -- all created in a color palette of 49 colors. The museum, which will be located at 438 West Kaley Street, will feature interactive sculptures, vertical gardens, and a rooftop promenade.

The design was chosen out of 68 submissions from 19 countries.

The site will serve as both a gathering place and educational center, according to Barbara Poma, a former co-owner of the club and the CEO of the onePULSE Foundation, a nonprofit created in the wake of the shooting. In a statement, Poma hoped it would teach "visitors and future generations [about] the profound impact the tragedy had on Orlando, the U.S., and the world."

Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer, who was a member of the jury that selected the winning design, added in a statement that this unveiling is an important step for the community.

"We will never bring back the 49 innocent victims whose lives were taken on June 12, 2016, or erase the pain that the horrific act brought to so many," he said, "but the establishment of this memorial is an important part of our community healing process."

Currently, there's a temporary memorial on the site -- which was also created by onePULSE -- but the new permanent memorial, as well as the nearby museum, will begin construction in 2021. They expect the memorial and museum, which will be free to visitors, to open to the public starting in 2022.

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