D-Day Museum
As part of the Heritage Lottery Funded refurbishment of the D-Day Museum at Southsea, UBU Design were appointed by Portsmouth City Council to design a series of new landscape spaces to transform the setting to the museum building. This comprised a new entrance space, an outdoor café seating area and the setting to a new memorial wall dedicated to the memory of those involved in the Normandy landings and campaign.
The design for the entrance area provides a simple and elegant plaza creating a generous space to the front of the museum; a pair of granite benches frame the entrance providing flexible seating opportunities. The new plaza is surfaced in a resin bound gravel alluding to the Normandy beaches, the surfacing is bisected by a series of granite bands which ‘fragment’ and ‘fracture’ the ground plain.
To control vehicle access to the plaza a series of granite cubes have been installed along the edge of the space, these also serve as informal seating with the form of these and other granite elements referencing the form of the concrete defences and tank traps used to defend the beaches from invasion.
The café area continues the palette of material used to the entrance area with planting used to create shelter and protection from coastal winds. A series of hedges have been planted around the space which reference ‘bocage’ a form of field division used in Normandy comprising landform and tall hedgerows, often including fruiting plants. A mix of holm oak and apple varieties have been used to create a strong year-round structure complemented by the Spring blossom and Autumn colour of the fruit trees.
The works also included the creation of ‘The Normandy Memorial Wall’ a memorial dedicated to those involved in the D-Day landings and subsequent advance through Normandy. An existing historic wall adjacent to the museum provides the backdrop for a series of commemorative named bricks and regimental panels. Working closely with the D-Day trustees we developed a design for a series of feature totems, these have a striking visual presence with a simple message that compliments the intent of the memorial wall.
The finished items comprise nine corten steel totems three metres high with the single word ‘Remember’ laser cut into the steel in different languages representing the nations involved in the campaign. The use of corten steel means each totem will change and age in a subtle and unique way.
The Museum was officially opened By Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal in May 2018; with a dedication ceremony for the memorial wall on the anniversary of the D-Day landings on 6th June.
