The Barbados Heritage District, designed by architecture studio Adjaye Associates, is a memorial dedicated to the impact of slavery for Bridgetown, Barbados. The memorial maps the transatlantic slave trade on the island, which recently became a republic.
To honor and commemorate the estimated 400,000 enslaved Africans transported to Barbados during the 17th and 18th centuries, the Heritage District draws upon traditional African tombs, prayer sites, and pyramids. The district uses the traditional techniques and philosophies of said structures to "contemporaneously honor the dead, edify the living, and manifest a new diasporic future for Black civilization."
The Barbados Heritage District is set to be built on Newton Plantation. It will have 570 vertical timber columns arranged in rows over a mound of rammed earth.
Image Credit: Adjaye Associates
What's Driving This Trend
- African Heritage Districts
- Designing memorials and districts to celebrate African heritage and history.
- Memorial Architecture
- Interested in designing functional and creative memorials for major historical events.
- Incorporating Tradition in Design
- Integrating traditional architecture techniques and philosophies in modern design.
Who This Affects Most
- Architecture
- Opportunities to design memorials to celebrate historical events.
- Tourism
- Promoting African heritage districts as tourist destinations and attractions.
- Cultural Studies
- Studying the significance and impact of heritage districts on cultural identities.
