Following the mass shooting in a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida in June 2016, the onePULSE Foundation was established to develop a memorial for the 49 victims who were tragically killed and a museum to convey their credo, “We Will Not Let Hate Win.”

With this tall order in mind, Dovetail Design Strategists led The National Pulse Memorial & Museum International Design Competition seeking an architect-led design team for a memorial, museum, and a pedestrian pathway, called Survivors Walk, that would trace the three-block journey many victims and survivors took the night of the tragedy.

We understood the weight of our task, the magnitude of its potential as a catalyst for change, and the global importance of finding an architectural team with the nuance to communicate the foundation’s mandate into iconic architecture.

Garnering worldwide attention, Dovetail’s two-stage, open international competition drew in nearly 70 applicants who stood in solidarity with Pulse. The six finalist firms displayed their diverse concept designs at an exhibition curated by Dovetail with the sole purpose of hearing feedback from the public, especially the victims’ families, survivors, and first responders of the June 2016 tragedy.

The resulting winning concept design is visionary, honors the victims, survivors, and first responders of the massacre and Dovetail’s unique competition process brought the community together to heal. In June 2021, President Biden signed a bill that designated the project a National Memorial.