Design competition for Grenfell Tower memorial to launch next month

The competition to select a design team for a memorial to the victims of the Grenfell Tower fire will launch in a month’s time.

The Grenfell Tower Memorial Commission has published its schedule for selecting a design team for the memorial, with the procurement process to begin on 10 July.

The announcement comes three days before the seven year anniversary of the fire, which killed 72 people on 14 June 2017.

The government has set aside a site of just under 3,000 sq m for the memorial, which includes the ground on which the tower block stands in North Kensington and adjacent land on either side.

The Commission said it is looking for a “community focused” design team which is likely to include architects, landscape architects and artists

Interested teams will be asked to demonstrate their relevant experience, including their experience of working collaboratively with communities. 

Five teams will be shortlisted this autumn and asked by the Commission to further develop their design approach.

The final winning team, chosen with input from the Grenfell community, is expected to be selected and announced in spring next year.

It is anticipated that the memorial design will then be sufficiently developed for a planning application to be submitted in 2027.

The Commission’s ten community representatives said: “This is a significant step closer to turning the Grenfell community’s memorial vision into a physical reality. The beautiful and lasting memorial to our 72 loved ones deserves nothing less.”

Thelma Stober and Lord Paul Boateng, co-chairs of the Grenfell Tower Memorial Commission said the primary aim of the Commission is to establish a “dignified and peaceful” space for the Grenfell community to commemorate.

They added: “Our fundamental pledge, from the outset, has been to prioritise the voices and wishes of the entire Grenfell community in the decision-making process, both now and in the future.” 

“The bereaved, survivors, residents, and the broader Grenfell community will play integral roles at every stage.

“This will ensure that the final design embodies a truly meaningful tribute to the 72 lives lost and provides a lasting and appropriate place for loved ones to pay their respects, mourn, and feel connected to their memory.” 

The announcement of the competition comes seven months after the Commission published its second report on the memorial, calling for the government to commit to 16 recommendations.

These included ensuring the Grenfell community was always central to decisions around the memorial, and that its design must be a “peaceful, sacred space” for individual and communal remembrance and reflection.

The report also asked for the design to reflect the diverse faiths and cultural backgrounds of the Grenfell community and that it should include a garden, a monument or other structure and options for commemorating the names of those lost, featuring art, water, and light.

Other recommendations included the creation of a permanent public exhibition and a separate physical and digital archive beyond the Grenfell Tower site.

A previous report by the Commission included several suggestions from members of the Grenfell community on what the memorial could look like.

These included retaining the tower as a “vertical garden” with a platform at a high level and plants hanging down, creating something “symbolic on the skyline” that gave the same visibility as the tower, and a structure that would be illuminated at night.

The final report of the public inquiry into causes of the Grenfell Tower fire will be published on 4 September this year.

Criminal trials are not expected to begin until 2027, with charges to be announced in late 2026, according to an update from the Metropolitan Police and Crown Prosecution Service last month.

A total of 19 firms or organisations and 58 individuals are currently under investigation by a team of 180 dedicated officers and staff.