HYDE PARK ROAD
MEMORIAL

CLIENT
City of London

LOCATION
London, Ontario
A Memorial was erected by the City of London at the site of the tragic murder in honour of the Afzaal family, Our London Family. Located at the southwest corner of Hyde Park and South Carriage roads and for the one-year anniversary, the purpose of the memorial is to allow individuals to gather and reflect and be a reminder that more needs to be done to battle racism and Islamophobia.

The site’s small size and sight-line triangle restrictions on city-owned property posed several challenges to overcome with imaginative innovation to create a memorial deserving of dignity and distinction. Fortunately, an agreement with the adjacent developer was arranged to acquire additional space to allow for more design possibilities.

A wedge-shaped memorial gracefully rises and falls in a diptych formation that is bent to reference the nearby neighbourhood and serves as a strong background with an uplifting and spirited profile. Random vertical grooves as well as a water rill along the top to capture rainfall are etched in the memorial to texturize and add meaning. A mural, by children and friends guided by an artist, is the centrepiece complete with a variety of symbolism to honour the Afzaal family and representing community-building, hope, peace, and healing. 

The plaza features a hexagon paver surface that references the common usage of the shape in Islamic art to represent infinity and harmony through symmetry. The paving pattern incorporates four shooting star bands to reflect the lives lost in the attack and point northeast to align with Muslim prayer and Mecca. A gravel bed along the base of the memorial provides a place for flowers and messages to be left behind while an oversized organic-shaped seat offers the opportunity to sit and reflect with family and friends.

Threads of purple and green colours are apparent through the composition as purple was Yumna Afzaal’s favourite colour and green is intended to be a symbolic push back against Islamophobia. The planting design carries this through with a backdrop of spring flowering Serviceberry trees and blocks of Concorde Barberry and Potentilla ‘Abbotswood’ with four Peonies interspersed with tulips. The instructed colour theme is echoed in the painted pedestrian crossings that mark the intersection.

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