Memory Tower
Vertical structures that preserve history, culture, and memory while serving contemporary functions.
Memory towers explore how architectural height can embody collective narratives, cultural preservation, and historical significance. These structures function as physical repositories of identity, whether through adaptive reuse of existing landmarks or new construction designed to honor place and heritage.
The community examines towers that transform abandoned infrastructure into cultural landmarks, stack sustainable housing in dense urban contexts, and create vertical spaces that acknowledge both past and present. Projects range from repurposing Cold War radio stations to designing timber towers on constrained sites, each addressing how vertical form can hold and communicate meaning.
Popular projects
View all 5 projectsLatest journals
View all 11 journalsHerzog & de Meuron Transforms a Cold War Radio Tower into an Alpine Observation Landmark at 3,000 Meters
On a Swiss peak above Engelberg, a decommissioned military antenna becomes a restaurant, viewing platform, and sculptural icon.
kit Architects Stack a Timber Tower House on a Triangular Plot in the Swiss Rhine Valley
A prefabricated spruce dwelling near St. Gallen uses a concrete core and passive ventilation to rethink the rural archetype.
Brenac & Gonzalez Twist a 57-Meter Tower into Montpellier's Former Rail Yards
Higher Roch Tower spirals 16 stories of curving terraces above the Saint-Roch district, bridging the historic city and a new urban quarter.
Cro&Co Architecture Builds a 150-Meter Tower on Top of a Seven-Lane Highway in La Défense
Trinity Tower reimagines the office high-rise as a bioclimatic organism threaded with terraces, trees, and public ground in Paris's business district.