New designers for Grenfell memorial pledge to honour 'eight years of advocacy'
Freehaus will work with bereaved families, survivors and the local community to create a permanent memorial
The design team chosen to create a memorial to the victims of the Grenfell Tower fire said they are honoured to take up the task and that it is "a responsibility that we do not take lightly."
London and Oxfordshire-based Freehaus describes itself as a firm which works "with empathy."
It was chosen from a shortlist of five and will work with bereaved and survivor families as well as the local community to produce a final design which is expected to be announced in mid-2027.
The Grenfell Tower Memorial Commission has been consulting on plans for a permanent memorial in the area of the tower, with previously reported recommendations including a "sacred space," designed to be a "peaceful place for remembering and reflecting."
The commission's community representatives, said they feel "confident that the right team has been selected to walk this road with us" and that they are now "significantly closer to creating a bold, fitting and lasting memorial to our 72 loved ones, and to our Grenfell community, whose lives were forever changed by the devastating tragedy" in June 2017.
The directors of Freehaus, Jonathan Hagos and Tom Bell, said they were "honoured to have been chosen" and will be "working closely with the bereaved, survivors, and the rest of the Grenfell community, to design a fitting memorial for the many lives so tragically lost."
They added:
"As we take our first steps in this journey, we want to acknowledge the eight years of advocacy and purposeful action led by the Grenfell community that has brought us here."
The firm was involved in the refurbishment of the Africa Centre headquarters in Southwark and is currently designing a new civic hub in Warwickshire and a series of exhibitions across London which chart the experiences of marginalised people.
Separately, the process to demolish Grenfell tower began in September, with the floor-by-floor deconstruction expected to take two years.
The remains of the tower had stood in place in the eight years since the disaster, with a covering on the building featuring a large green heart accompanied by the words "forever in our hearts."
Confirmation earlier this year that the tower was to be demolished was met with criticism from some of the bereaved and survivors of the deadly blaze who expressed their upset and shock, saying they felt they had not had their views considered before the decision was taken.
Some of the bereaved and survivors had hoped it would stay in place until a point where charges were brought against those they deem responsible for the fire.
Police and prosecutors have previously said investigators would need until the end of 2025 to complete their inquiry, with final decisions on potential criminal charges by the end of 2026.
The near 10-year wait for justice has been described by families as "unbearable."