Lines from the poem Farewell from Welfare Island by Puerto Rican poet Julia de Burgos are inscribed among the spray of colors fired onto a glass interlayer.
- Lines from the poem Farewell from Welfare Island by Puerto Rican poet Julia de Burgos are inscribed among the spray of colors fired onto a glass interlayer.
This competition-winning memorial to the victims of the 2017 storm takes the form of an abstract mural, stretching across an ascending glass spiral and a series of upright central panels rising up to 16 feet. Lines of the poem Farewell from Welfare Island by Puerto Rican poet Julia de Burgos are inscribed among the spray of colors fired onto a glass interlayer. The central panels are mounted to architectural concrete benches.
While Silman’s primary scope was designing the concrete elements that support the panels, the firm also played a significant role in coordinating with the geotechnical consultant (Mueser Rutledge Consulting Engineers) and the glass engineer (Eckersley O’Callaghan).
The central panels are connected overhead by a series of stainless-steel plates arranged to resemble the Puerto Rican flag's star.
During construction administration, Silman engineers conducted site visits to review a mock-up of the base detail, which includes an exposed architectural concrete finish.
