The Vimy Ridge National Historic Site in Vimy, France, is one of Canada’s most culturally significant memorials, commemorating a battle that united all four Canadian military divisions, reinforcing Canada’s identity as a united and proud nation.

Through studies of the topography and terrain, RMA+SH discovered previously unknown spatial and historic relationships that were integrated into the project. In 1917, the front lines at the Battle of Vimy Ridge inscribed an arc into the landscape, which intersects the axis of the tree line beyond the memorial.

We strengthened this connection by defining an axis of history reflecting the movement and orientation of the front lines, and an axis of memory linked to the monument itself. Through meticulous use of materiality, these themes of history and memory were integrated into all aspects of the design including architecture, museology, landscape, and lighting.

The primary view of the building’s exterior is visually quiet, as to not detract from the monument in the distance. The approach toward the building gives the impression of entering into a solid mass, playing off notions of container versus contained.

The lightness of the wood structure and curtain wall play off the filtered light of the Austrian pines on the grounds. Besides cost-effectiveness, wood was chosen for symbolic and aesthetic effect: to represent people from a forested nation who came to France, and in contrast to the complete devastation of the landscape, denuded of its trees following the war. The front and back facades, with their respective day- and night-lighting, remind visitors that both scars and regeneration are part of the story of war and invite the contemplation of life's fragility and preservation.