LSA 220 Introduction to Landscape Architecture Braden Mungeam

The Middle Of Trauma by Jimena Martignoni September 23, 2014

This is a very beautiful and also very revolutionary project. The designers were completed their
task expertly, as Jimena Martignoni illustrated throughout the article The Middle of Trauma throughout
which describes the process and reasoning behind this fascinating project. The Memorial to the Victims
of Violence is a 3.7 acre park, with 70 monuments placed throughout; this is surprisingly the largest
park in Mexico City.
The idea of having the people of Mexico complete the design through their drawings on the
monolithic 39 foot tall sheets of steel is brilliant. This allows the community to express themselves
through the public park, and where it is a memorial park for war victims; the designers ascertained that
anyone with surviving family will be recognized as the family sees fit. Gaeta and Springall certainly
deserve applause, because the open ended design promotes healing: which is something I am sure they
were looking to accomplish through their work. Another thrilling idea the designers input through the
tall panels, was a connection between the earth and sky which is made when the passerby looks
towards the top of a panel. For a religious person this is seen as a connection to the victims residing in
heaven.
Julio Gaeta and Luby Springall, the architects responsible for The Middle of Trauma, have made
a great reputation for themselves with this piece. Not only were they able to succeed in their design,
but they also made it a priority to keep the costs as low as they could. This is especially important in
areas where money is both not distributed properly, and possibly nonexistent for certain members of
society. An important part of any design is how the community will interact with it, this is something
the Landscape Architects and other employees at Gaeta Springall Architects clearly understand and
exemplify.