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This memorial has been designed to honor aviation pioneers, celebrated and unsung, from the past, present and future alike. It is the first memorial ever dedicated to the Air Force in the nation's capital.
 
Unlike the Navy, which has water as its medium and can be readily referenced with fountains, or the Army, which has land, the medium of the Air Force is air, invisible and difficult to articulate. The design challenge was the symbolic transition to making air palpable while simultaneously evoking the technological advances on which the Air Force depends. The essence of the project is flight.
 
Inspiration was drawn from the contrails of the Air Force Thunderbirds as they peel back in a precision "bomb burst" maneuver. The memorial rises with three stainless steel spires "Soaring to Glory" asymmetrically at heights of 270', 231' and 201'. The appearance of the arcs changes dynamically with the viewer's location, the weather, the season, and the time of day. At night they are illuminated from the ground, with their tips more brilliantly lit for drama against, and from, the sky.
 
The memorial overlooks the Pentagon and monumental Washington from the crest of a high-visibility promontory that launches the spires at the busy I-395 gateway to D.C. from Arlington, Virginia. The 3-acre site is currently the parking lot of temporary Naval Annex office buildings, which will be demolished, landscaped, and transferred to adjacent Arlington National Cemetery in 2010.
 
A visit to the Memorial involves a measured sequence of public and progressively more private experiences. Entering from a memorial gate, visitors turn onto the "Flight Line to Glory," a formal processional  that unites key elements of the site physically, visually, emotionally. This ceremonial runway is intersected by an Air Force blue stone path which links a bronze Honor Guard at one end to the Chamber of Contemplation at the other: a freestanding outdoor room, without walls or roof, defined only by four translucent glass corners bearing inspirational texts. Inscription walls and a parade ground with stepped stone seating amplify the site. Thick rows of precisely shaped mature trees provide welcome shade as they screen parking and the temporary buildings.

 

The Memorials Major Components

Memorial entry gate; 3 spires (270, 231, 201 feet high), built with 3/4" stainless steel plates in 12-foot high equilateral sections filled with concrete to 60% height, transitioning above to hollow stainless steel structure, and terminating in solid stainless steel tips; translucent glass Chamber of Contemplation; inscription walls; bronze Honor Guard; parade ground; stepped stone plinth for seating; ceremonial pathways; significant planting; vehicular roadway and turnaround; parking; service structure

 

 

Click on Picture to enlarge
Memorial Entrance Perspective	Bronze Honor Guard Perspective	Runway to Glory         Perspective
Glass Contemplation Wall Perspective	Memorial Model	Memorial Model Panorama
Night Skyline	View Looking East           Future Condition	View Looking West          Future Condition
Aerial Illustration	Central Lawn Illustration	Granite Inscription Wall
All Three Spires Complete	Bronze Honor Guard
Spire Architecture Details	Spire Height on Promontory	Height of AFM Spires Related to Other DC Landmarks
Spire Wind Load

 

 

 

The Architect's Statement

 

The Air Force Memorial is rooted in the necessary symbolic transition of making the medium of the Air Force visible. The Navy has the medium of water, which can always be shown in fountains, and the Army has the medium of land, which can be referenced with mountains and plains; the Air Force has the medium of air, which is very difficult to show. The core of this effort lies in making air tangible, making technology felt. But, before the Memorial could take shape, the critical component, the site, had to be analyzed for its informational and formational impact. In this case, the promontory overlooking Washington brings to bear the possibility of launching the Memorial through the edge condition it presents.

The Memorial itself is 270 feet high and appears to be soaring; its array of arcs against the sky evokes a modern image of flight by jet and space vehicles. At the same time, it enshrines the past in permanent remembrance of the pioneers of flight who came before, and pays homage to those of the future.

Once the decision was made to have vertical elements, the number three became important, three being resonant with significant associations for the Air Force, including the three core values of today: Integrity first, Service before self, and Excellence in all we do. It is also the smallest number of elements needed to define and enclose a space. The spires are asymmetrical, dynamic, each a different height so that the view of the Memorial changes from every angle.

“The new design gracefully evokes the symbolism associated with flight and with the United States Air Force. The design also enhances this already spectacular site on the escarpment of Washington’s Monumental Core. The proposed Air Force Memorial will provide a striking gateway into the Nation’s Capital from Virginia.”

The National Capitol Planning Commission
March 12, 2003

The Memorial is scaled for visibility over street infrastructure, its height determined to be at least equal to building heights visible on the Arlington horizon from both near and distant views. The proportional relationship of the height of the spires to the width of the Memorial space at their base grows from the need to make the Memorial material in space and stand out as a marker at the gateway to the I-395 entry to Washington. At the same time care is taken not to diminish the view of the nation’s capital beyond.

A metallic surface, stainless steel, forms the equilateral triangles that form the Memorial spires. Jointing details are minimized. Each spire will be illuminated by its own light source.

A path parallel to the western edge of the site, paved in bluestone, joins two events, its southern and northern ends creating the necessary poles for experiencing the total Memorial. At the entrance from the west stands the Honor Guard, symbolizing patriotism and power. From here, the bluestone path moves north to the Glass Contemplation Wall, a glazed independent panel with meditative inscriptions. It symbolizes the presence of all of those who are gone. Halfway on the journey back and forth, one finds the heart of the Memorial, a triangular prow bounded by the three spires. Standing within the soaring forms, one can see the Washington Monument. A stepped stone plinth runs parallel with the pathway and can act as seating for special events as well as for the “trooping of the colors.”

The landscaping edges the active site with thick rows of mature trees, welcomed for their shade, lined mostly along the west of the complex and carefully shaped to intensify the Memorial experience.

James Ingo Freed
15 September 2004

 

 

A Tribute To Jim Freed

 

More than any other individual among the many who strove
to build a Memorial to honor the men and women of the Air Force and its predecessor organizations, Jim Freed gave shape to our aspirations. His vision became our guiding light, and his inspiration continues to astound as the spires of the United States Air Force Memorial draw our eyes skyward.

Jim was one of the world’s most renowned architects. Known in the Washington area for his designs of the Holocaust Museum and Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center, Jim’s long career and accomplishments can be seen and felt throughout the world. Among his many awards, Jim was a recipient of the National Medal of Arts – the highest award given to artists and arts patrons by the United States Government – in 1995.

Sadly, the United States Air Force Memorial was his last project, but perhaps his greatest gift to his nation.

On behalf of the Air Force Memorial Foundation, I express our shared gratitude for Jim Freed’s invaluable service, commitment, professionalism, vision and leadership. He was a good friend and we shall always miss him. It was a privilege for us to have known and worked with Jim Freed.

 

 

The Vision Of Zenos Frudakia

 

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The original concept for representing the Honor Guard, with all of its attendant meaning and import to the military tradition, was originally conceived in the form of a proposal for a relief. This starting point – four people standing at attention – static by its very nature, evolved toward a larger and more compelling conception. The transformative process of exploration through sculpture liberated the forms from their wall, and grew the figures in literal and figurative stature, creating a human form monument as counterpoint and complement to the soaring steel spires that overwhelm the senses of the Memorial’s visitors.

The humanity of the four undefined figures of the Honor Guard became recognizable as individuals, reflecting the diversity of gender and races that strengthens the composition of the Air Force and the nation. The individuals came into view as unique people, with faces and bodies, evoking vitality and infusing a life into each figure – inspiring connections to the real people who serve and sacrifice.

Through this sculpture, visitors to the Memorial encounter the iconic notion of the honor guard and become aware of the presence of the people who continue to safeguard the dignity of service to country. I hope this honor guard elicits reaction through art and form, and stands as a testament to enduring service and sacrifice for the public good.

Zenos Frudakis, Sculptor
June 2006