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The Guardian
13-02-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
What should the Grenfell memorial look like? History has some answers
For the past seven years, Grenfell Tower has been cloaked in white wrapping, protecting the fire-damaged fabric from further corrosion and the public from falling debris. This shroud covers a monumental cenotaph, a visceral reminder of the tragedy that claimed 72 lives and upended so many others. Now, the deputy prime minister has decided that the tower will be demolished in time for the 10th anniversary of the fire in 2027. The justification is that the tower is structurally vulnerable, and – insipidly – because there is no consensus among the community groups and campaigns seeking reparative justice. Many of these groups have said they felt ignored by the government's decision, while local residents remain divided. What is clear is that a top-down verdict from central government has obscured some of the careful thinking and deep engagement by various communities at a local level. As attention turns toward the construction of a permanent memorial, there are questions as to whether this can be handled with the appropriate sensitivity and proper consultation. Early signs, based on the government's ruling, are that the system has not fundamentally been reformed. Decisions about a memorial to Grenfell will have a particular potency because the redevelopment of the site will be a measure of how the construction industry and regulatory regime have changed since the tragedy, from planning and procurement, design and construction, to management and maintenance. All of these processes should by now be practically inverted if we've achieved the shift needed: community-led, bottom-up planning; procurement based solely on quality, with clear and accountable contractual relationships; health, safety, accessibility and sustainability as primary considerations; a process of production that engages local skills and enhances the local economy; and – as the Grenfell Tower Memorial Commission, made up of residents and survivors, advocates – a speedy transfer of ownership from government to an appropriate independent body. The government has committed to this, if that is the wish of the community, and an organisation will be set up to own and maintain it. Memorialisation and the design of monuments is a complicated process, as the continuing controversy around agreeing an appropriate site, form and purpose for the UK's national Holocaust memorial demonstrated. The anti-monumentalism of the postwar years rejected the monolithic memorials that reflected the bombast and sublimity so favoured by despotic regimes. In London, this turn away from the grandiose has manifested in the fourth plinth commissions, but also more modestly and movingly in sites like Altab Ali park, Whitechapel, where the racist murder of a young Bangladeshi textile worker in 1978 is commemorated by a decorative arch. Monuments to ordinary communities made extraordinary through disaster are as rare as they are difficult to design. But we can look to history for inspiration. Take the Victorian artist George Frederic Watts's commitment to a Memorial to Heroic Self-Sacrifice, situated in Postman's Park, essentially a veranda designed by Ernest George with beautifully crafted ceramic tablets commemorating ordinary people who died selflessly saving the lives of others. More than half a century later, the London county council created a memorial to Londoners who had died during the blitz by creating an avenue of mature trees running between old County Hall and Waterloo Bridge on the South Bank. Ruins and relics can also have their own potency: the medieval structure of Coventry Cathedral was badly damaged by a Luftwaffe raid. The architect Basil Spence retained what remained of the structure as a garden of remembrance, adjacent to his striking contemporary cathedral. The independent Grenfell Tower Memorial Commission, which is supported by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, has advanced the commissioning process by shortlisting a number of design teams, a refreshingly diverse list of practitioners in architecture and adjacent disciplines. Whoever is appointed, it will be daunting task and a weighty responsibility, with complex long-term considerations. Though the aspiration is that the official memorial will be permanent, it should also be able to evolve. The meaning and cultural memory of Grenfell will inevitably change, in ways we are unlikely to anticipate. The Victorians liked sturdy, fixed monuments – in our contemporary moment, this kind of heroic memorialisation simply does not cater to the diverse views and needs of the community or the public. The Monument in the City of London – it is easy to forget – commemorates the Great Fire of 1666, and its messages about the causes of the fire and the power relations that informed the City's reconstruction represent a very specific historical context now largely forgotten. Further, even though the tower will be demolished, aspects of it should be preserved. When the architects Alison and Peter Smithson's brutalist landmark housing scheme Robin Hood Gardens was finally consigned to the rubble heap, the V&A Museum was challenged to preserve a three-storey section in its collection. With appropriate supporting displays and interpretation, there could be a similar approach in keeping some of the fabric of Grenfell. Forensic Architecture, meanwhile, has not only sought to accurately record the tower's structure and the technical failures it endured, but also developed 'situated testimonies' in collaboration with residents, bereaved families and survivors. The memorial provides an opportunity to commemorate the profound change that Grenfell has and must continue to have on how our cities and buildings are shaped. Academics like Liam Ross in Edinburgh have undertaken detailed research around what he terms 'pyrotechnic cities', the ways in which buildings and the urban condition have been shaped by fire and resulting regulatory or practical changes, including in North Kensington. Ross undertakes an 'archaeology of fire', observing the process of 'concretising existing codes in new structures'. True memorialisation of disaster involves revising standards. Over the past three years, Ross and I have collaborated on designing a short learning programme aimed at arming professionals with deeper knowledge of fire and life safety, conceived as a memorial and a platform for change. There are already many memorials to Grenfell, driven by those most affected by the fire and on the frontline of campaigning. They remind us that memorialisation is not a passive or indeed singular act. Even if the tower were to remain, its potency as a symbol would depend on fundamental shifts in the way we think about our buildings and cities. A memorial should not and cannot be a 'national' monument for gawping at, but a nodal point of a shared and renewed commitment to ensure such a tragedy never happens again. Neal Shasore is a historian of the built environment and heritage advocate Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here.
The Guardian
08-02-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
The Observer view: A robust watchdog is vital to avoid another Grenfell Tower tragedy
The remains of Grenfell Tower have for the last seven years stood as a testament to the worst British fire disaster in living memory. They have become a permanent feature of the west London skyline; one that means the people who live and work in north Kensington – including those who survived the fire – are never far away from the reminder that 72 people died, and that this terrible loss of life was entirely avoidable were it not for a series of dreadful failures by the public bodies, private companies and regulators responsible for ensuring the safety of its residents. The question of what should happen to the tower was always going to be highly sensitive. Some survivors and family members desperately want it to remain standing as a memorial to those who were killed. Nabil Choucair, who lost six family members, says it should at least be allowed to stand until the criminal investigation – still ongoing – has concluded. There are some local residents who say they find its continuing presence difficult and who worry about whether it is structurally safe, following engineers' reports that have said that the tower needs to be taken down above its 10th floor for safety reasons. Last Wednesday, deputy prime minister Angela Rayner told a community meeting that the tower would be dismantled entirely after the eighth anniversary of the fire, to be replaced by a memorial that could incorporate elements of it. The government rejected suggestions from some survivors that the lower levels should be allowed to stand, arguing this would be unfair to those with a connection to flats on the upper levels that have to be removed. Grenfell United, which represents some survivors and family members, has been highly critical of the way the government has handled the decision process; another survivor group, Grenfell Next of Kin, attributed the best of intentions to Rayner. It is understandable and to be expected that some relatives find the prospect of the tower being taken down extremely painful, particularly given the fact that no one has yet been held criminally responsible for the fire; the outcome of any criminal trials is not expected until a full decade after it happened. Given this decision has now been made by the government, it remains critical that the Grenfell Tower Memorial Commission – itself mainly made up of elected representatives from the community – continues to engage with families and survivors with a range of views about what form the memorial should take. Sign up to Observed Analysis and opinion on the week's news and culture brought to you by the best Observer writers after newsletter promotion At the time the final report of the public inquiry was published, the government promised it would produce its response to the inquiry's recommendations within six months; that response is due by early March. After a National Audit Office report last November called on the government to speed up the pace of remedial work on buildings with dangerous cladding – seven years on from the fire, only a third of tower blocks have had the cladding removed, and half a million people are estimated to live in dangerous buildings – ministers announced plans to bring forwards the deadline for buildings over 11 metres to be fixed or have a date in place for completion to the end of 2029. But that is still almost five years away. And the government will need to undertake radical reform of the construction industry to avoid another lethal fire: the inquiry recommended setting up a new public regulator, with a single line of ministerial responsibility, to oversee building construction, including licensing companies involved in the construction of higher-risk buildings. Such a scheme will be expensive, but it is of paramount importance that the resources are found.
The Independent
05-02-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Grenfell Tower set to be demolished
Bereaved families of the Grenfell Tower fire have reportedly been informed of the government's decision to demolish the charred remains of the building. Housing Secretary and Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner met with families and survivors of the tragedy on Wednesday evening to communicate the news. This development comes despite previous government assurances that no changes would be made to the site before the eighth anniversary of the disaster in June 2024, which claimed 72 lives. A spokesperson for Grenfell Next Of Kin, a group representing some bereaved families, said Ms Rayner had 'announced the decision that the tower will have to be carefully deconstructed'. It is expected more details will be set out by Government by the end of the week. In a previous update, the Government said structural engineering advice remained unchanged 'in that the building (or that part of it that was significantly damaged) should be carefully taken down'. The Grenfell Next Of Kin spokesperson said the decision around the tower's future was 'obviously a very sensitive and difficult' one. They added: 'For the next of kin of the deceased, that building is a shrine and the death place of their immediate families, their brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, husbands, wives and children – but they understand the hard facts around safety.' What is left of the tower has stood in place since the fatal fire on June 14 2017 with a covering on the building featuring a large green heart accompanied by the words 'forever in our hearts'. Views have varied on what should happen on the site, with some bereaved and survivors feeling the tower should remain in place until there are criminal prosecutions over the failings which led to the fire. The final report of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry, published in September, concluded the disaster was the result of 'decades of failure' by government and the construction industry to act on the dangers of flammable materials on high-rise buildings. The west London tower block was covered in combustible products because of the 'systematic dishonesty' of firms who made and sold the cladding and insulation, inquiry chairman Sir Martin Moore-Bick said. He said the 'simple truth' is that all the deaths were avoidable and that those who lived in the tower were 'badly failed' by authorities 'in most cases through incompetence but, in some cases, through dishonesty and greed'. Police and prosecutors said, in May last year, that investigators would need until the end of 2025 to complete their inquiry, with final decisions on potential criminal charges by the end of 2026. The near 10-year wait for justice has been described by families as 'unbearable'. Separately, the Grenfell Tower Memorial Commission has been consulting on plans for a permanent memorial in the area of the tower. In a 2023 report, the commission set out a series of recommendations for a 'sacred space', designed to be a 'peaceful place for remembering and reflecting'. It said the space should include a garden, a monument and a dedicated space for the private expression of grief and mourning for the families who lost loved ones. A shortlist of five potential design teams was announced last month, and a winning design team is set to be selected this summer. A Government spokesperson said: 'The priority for the Deputy Prime Minister is to meet with and write to the bereaved, survivors and the immediate community to let them know her decision on the future of the Grenfell Tower. 'This is a deeply personal matter for all those affected, and the Deputy Prime Minister is committed to keeping their voice at the heart of this.'
The Independent
05-02-2025
- General
- The Independent
Grenfell Tower to be demolished, bereaved families told
Bereaved families of the Grenfell fire are understood to have been told the tower block will be demolished. Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner, who is also Housing Secretary, met with relatives and survivors on Wednesday evening. The Government has previously said there will be no changes to the site before the eighth anniversary of the disaster – which claimed 72 lives – in June. For the next of kin of the deceased, that building is a shrine and the death place of their immediate families, their brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, husbands, wives and children - but they understand the hard facts around safety Grenfell Next Of Kin group A spokesperson for Grenfell Next Of Kin, a group representing some bereaved families, said Ms Rayner had 'announced the decision that the tower will have to be carefully deconstructed'. It is expected more details will be set out by Government by the end of the week. In a previous update, the Government said structural engineering advice remained unchanged 'in that the building (or that part of it that was significantly damaged) should be carefully taken down'. The Grenfell Next Of Kin spokesperson said the decision around the tower's future was 'obviously a very sensitive and difficult' one. They added: 'For the next of kin of the deceased, that building is a shrine and the death place of their immediate families, their brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, husbands, wives and children – but they understand the hard facts around safety.' What is left of the tower has stood in place since the fatal fire on June 14 2017 with a covering on the building featuring a large green heart accompanied by the words 'forever in our hearts'. Views have varied on what should happen on the site, with some bereaved and survivors feeling the tower should remain in place until there are criminal prosecutions over the failings which led to the fire. The final report of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry, published in September, concluded the disaster was the result of 'decades of failure' by government and the construction industry to act on the dangers of flammable materials on high-rise buildings. The west London tower block was covered in combustible products because of the 'systematic dishonesty' of firms who made and sold the cladding and insulation, inquiry chairman Sir Martin Moore-Bick said. He said the 'simple truth' is that all the deaths were avoidable and that those who lived in the tower were 'badly failed' by authorities 'in most cases through incompetence but, in some cases, through dishonesty and greed'. Police and prosecutors said, in May last year, that investigators would need until the end of 2025 to complete their inquiry, with final decisions on potential criminal charges by the end of 2026. The near 10-year wait for justice has been described by families as 'unbearable'. Separately, the Grenfell Tower Memorial Commission has been consulting on plans for a permanent memorial in the area of the tower. In a 2023 report, the commission set out a series of recommendations for a 'sacred space', designed to be a 'peaceful place for remembering and reflecting'. It said the space should include a garden, a monument and a dedicated space for the private expression of grief and mourning for the families who lost loved ones. A shortlist of five potential design teams was announced last month, and a winning design team is set to be selected this summer. The commission said it expects the memorial design to be sufficiently developed to enable a planning application to be submitted in late 2026. A Government spokesperson said: 'The priority for the Deputy Prime Minister is to meet with and write to the bereaved, survivors and the immediate community to let them know her decision on the future of the Grenfell Tower. 'This is a deeply personal matter for all those affected, and the Deputy Prime Minister is committed to keeping their voice at the heart of this.'
The Guardian
05-02-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Grenfell Tower, where 72 people died, ‘to be demolished', families are told
Bereaved families of the Grenfell fire are understood to have been told the tower block will be demolished. The deputy prime minister, Angela Rayner, who is also housing secretary, met with relatives and survivors on Wednesday evening. The government has previously said there will be no changes to the site before the eighth anniversary of the disaster – which claimed 72 lives – in June. A spokesperson for Grenfell Next of Kin, a group representing some bereaved families, said Rayner had 'announced the decision that the tower will have to be carefully deconstructed'. It is expected more details will be set out by government by the end of the week. In a previous update, the government said structural engineering advice remained unchanged 'in that the building (or that part of it that was significantly damaged) should be carefully taken down'. What is left of the tower has stood in place since the fatal fire on 14 June 2017 with a covering on the building featuring a large green heart accompanied by the words 'forever in our hearts'. Views have varied on what should happen on the site, with some bereaved people and survivors arguing the tower should remain in place until there are criminal prosecutions over the failings which led to the fire. The final report of the Grenfell Tower inquiry, published in September, concluded the disaster was the result of 'decades of failure' by government and the construction industry to act on the dangers of flammable materials on high-rise buildings. The west London tower block was covered in combustible products because of the 'systematic dishonesty' of firms who made and sold the cladding and insulation, inquiry chair Sir Martin Moore-Bick said. He said the 'simple truth' was that all the deaths were avoidable and that those who lived in the tower were 'badly failed' by authorities, 'in most cases through incompetence but, in some cases, through dishonesty and greed'. Police and prosecutors said, in May last year, that investigators would need until the end of 2025 to complete their inquiry, with final decisions on potential criminal charges by the end of 2026. The near 10-year wait for justice has been described by families as 'unbearable'. Separately, the Grenfell Tower Memorial Commission has been consulting on plans for a permanent memorial in the area of the tower. In a 2023 report, the commission set out a series of recommendations for a 'sacred space', designed to be a 'peaceful place for remembering and reflecting'. It said the space should include a garden, a monument and a dedicated space for the private expression of grief and mourning for the families who lost loved ones. A shortlist of five potential design teams was announced last month, and a winning design team is set to be selected this summer. The commission said it expects the memorial design to be sufficiently developed to enable a planning application to be submitted in late 2026. A government spokesperson said: 'The priority for the deputy prime minister is to meet with and write to the bereaved, survivors and the immediate community to let them know her decision on the future of the Grenfell Tower. 'This is a deeply personal matter for all those affected, and the deputy prime minister is committed to keeping their voice at the heart of this.'
