There are many elements which have effected the context of each design. The first, enclosure, is used in both structures, but in totally different ways. The enclosure feature separates the spaces, whether it be the way inside of the memorial as in Holmdel or the actual inside as in Washington D.C.. At Holmdel, one must enter the immense circle-like structure through an enclosed entryway, made of concrete. So, when walking to the memorial, you come from the open outside, and the path leads you directly to the enclosure. With just the focus of the memorial’s center tree ahead, the way it is placed shows

Other factors, which include proportion and scale, are more elements which the memorials have in order to make a successful visitation spot. Proportion is used mainly to catch people’s attention, and direct them to the memorials with no distractions. At both sites, the use of high walls make it feel like the observer is “inside” the memorial, when, of course, they are not. At Holmdel, from the outside of the memorial, the immense walls can be seen, but only a portion because it is surrounded by bushes. But this effect brings the observers anticipation and wonder as to what the walls look like on the inside. Once inside, the Holmdel memorial is a giant circle with almost 8 foot high walls in a non-breaking circle, giving the sense of a area which cannot be avoided. However to get to those walls you must first climb stairs, or a ramp, to get to the highest level of the memorial, on which the walls with the names stand. Another scale factor in Holmdel is the actual statue of soldiers, which the observers see when first entering. The observer might not fully get the effect, if it wasn’t for the vast size of the statue. With the large bodies, hands, faces, and feet, the observer can’t help but notice the detail as to what the war was really about. The statue is centrally located, giving the observers time to be surrounded by the walls, while at the same time reflecting on the deepness of the soldiers statue.

In Washington, the same proportion and scale effect is used, but in a different aspect. When the observer first sees the memorial form ground level, the memorial looks bizarre, because it is actually underground. As one walks through the memorial, at first it seems as if it is small, but while continuing toward the center, the walls seem to engulf the people as the walk. The slanted ground brings the observer into the earth as the proportion from person to memorial become further and further apart. Once in the center, now that the wall of names is towering over, by looking directly strait in both directions of the wall, two more famous icons are used to represent how effective the structure is; the Lin

Some topics in this essay:
DC Holmdel, Washington Holmdel, Washington DC, , washington dc, proportion scale, light texture, names wall, walking memorial, level memorial, washington holmdel, statue soldiers, scale light, memorial washington,