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Svigals + Partners to design a Memorial Garden in honor of victims of gun violence

2019-02-07T15:07:00-05:00

For New Haven school teacher Marlene Miller Pratt, whose son was shot and killed in 1998, the effort to build a memorial to victims of gun violence is about building a serene space to remember loved ones.

"We wanted to develop an area that was going to be beautiful, so that we wouldn't have to go to the cemetery to visit our children. Because when you go to the cemetery, it's so desolate," she told the park commission as she presented her pitch for a memorial garden back in September.

Pratt, and other concerned mothers in New Haven, Connecticut, have spent the past several years advocating for a place to honor those lost to gun violence through the beauty of nature, efforts for which are now paying off. Working with Urban Resources Initiative—a non-profit that helps to rejuvenate and renovate urban environments—the Lost Generation Memorial Garden could be open to the public as soon as this summer.

Designed with help from architecture and planning firm Svigals + Partners, the site ...

The Architecture of Loss: How to Redesign After a School Shooting

2014-11-20T14:22:00-05:00

Good architects strive to balance design and function while listening closely to a client’s emotional needs for the space. Public projects often have the added layers of bureaucratic paperwork, media scrutiny, and community outreach. But rebuilding a school after a shooting presents a unique kaleidoscope of intense feelings. Architects must create an environment that not only promotes learning, but also helps the students—and their towns—heal from tragedy.

In New Sandy Hook School, Newtown Plays Design Role

2014-03-20T14:11:00-04:00

The school will be in the woods, away from the parking lot. It will feature a long, curving corridor that the architect likens to arms embracing students as they enter. [...] The architects the town chose, Svigals + Partners, a 30-person firm based in New Haven, had only a half-dozen elementary schools in its portfolio, far fewer than bigger competitors for the commission. It was known as well for designing laboratories for Yale and high-end houses for celebrities