Until 2017, Canada was the only World War II allied nation without a Holocaust monument in its capital. That all changed with the completion of the National Holocaust Monument in Ottawa, designed by the world’s leading expert in the design of contemporary Holocaust memorials and museums, Daniel Libeskind.

Of Polish origin and Jewish faith, Libeskind’s affinity for the design of Holocaust and Jewish museums is evident in his body of work. Known best for his designs for the Jewish Museum Berlin (2001), and subsequently the Danish Jewish Museum in Copenhagen (2001), Contemporary Jewish Museum in San Francisco (2008), and the forthcoming Dutch Holocaust Memorial in Amsterdam (breaking ground in 2018), Libeskind and his team have mastered the art of designing highly emotive and immersive experiences that provide meaningful education and moments of solace while tackling complex, highly charged, and challenging subjects. The National Holocaust Monument in Ottawa, the latest in the series, is no different.

Located in central Ottawa at the corner of Booth and Wellington Streets across from the Canadian War Museum, the 0.8 acre site is adjacent to the historic centre of Canada’s capital city. Designed to enhance the visual connection between the War Museum and Canadian Parliament, the monument rises only three stories above ground, maintaining a low, yet striking profile that can be seen from the St. Lawrence River, downtown Ottawa, and nearby Gatineau, Quebec.

Formed of raw concrete cast-in-place in the shape of an elongated Star of David, the monument is comprised of six triangular volumes joined by a large open space, forming a series of large and intimate contemplative spaces. Symbolic of Holocaust imagery, the …