Nitsch was honored to be part of the design team for the Sean Collier Memorial on the Massachusetts Institute of Technology campus. The 6,300-square-foot memorial honors Officer Sean Collier, who was killed on April 18, 2013 in the aftermath of the Boston Marathon bombings. The memorial embodies the concept of strength through unity in its composition of thirty-two granite blocks that form a five-way stone vault, each supporting the other to create a covered space that functions as a place for reflection.
We provided preliminary mapping services and composite utility plans to facilitate the planning of the memorial. The design of civil utilities included the relocation of existing utilities to accommodate the memorial’s foundation system and the design of new utilities associated with the memorial.
The project was recognized with a 2019 AIA Innovation Award for the Development of Design or Design-Thinking.
Key Collaborators
Owner: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Architect: Howeler and Yoon Architecture, LLP
