Foster + Partners Wins Competition for Memorial to Queen Elizabeth II
Foster + Partners has been selected to design the National Memorial to Queen Elizabeth II in St James’ Park, London, beating out Heatherwick Studio, WilkinsonEyre, and other shortlisted firms.
The Queen Elizabeth Memorial Committee, an ad-hoc advisory group of the UK Cabinet Office, was formed in 2023, following the death of Queen Elizabeth II, the longest-reigning monarch in British history, in September 2022 at age 96. Working with Malcolm Reading Consultants, the committee envisioned the national memorial to the queen as “a beautiful place,” in the words of its chair, Lord Janvrin, “a place to visit with friends, a place to gather, to enjoy, and to reflect on an extraordinary life.”
Appropriately then, the five shortlisted plans that were unveiled in May were fairly subdued, for the most part free of attention-getting design features. The winning scheme by Foster + Partners can even be seen as the most restrained, consisting of “two gates, two gardens, joined by a bridge and unifying path,” per today's announcement of the winner. The design concept “celebrates Queen Elizabeth’s life through a time of great change, balancing tradition and modernity, public duty and private faith, the United Kingdom and a global Commonwealth.”
The above site plan illustrates the extent of the memorial, stretching from The Mall on the north to Bird Cage Walk on the south, spanning St. James Park and its lake in between. The scheme will feature a new Prince Philip Gate, figurative sculptures and artistic installations, new gardens on the north and south sides of the lake, and a new bridge that would replace the existing Blue Bridge. The competition was for a master plan, so the design concept will be refined in the coming months, with the final design formally announced in April 2026. Foster + Partners worked with artist Yinka Shonibare and landscape designer Michel Desvigne on the master plan.
“I knew The Queen on formal occasions but also enjoyed her informality when attending events as a member of the Order of Merit. We have sought to reflect these qualities of the formal and informal in our design, with an appeal across a wide range of ages and interests. To these ends, we have discreetly stretched the boundaries of art and technology with a deliberately gentle intervention. Our design will have the minimum impact on the nature and biodiversity of the Park and it will be phased to ensure that the precious route across it will never be closed.”
