Singaporeans are being offered a chance to help pick a design for the Founders' Memorial - and shape Singapore's skyline.
Five designs for the memorial to honour the Republic's pioneer leaders have been shortlisted by a jury - out of 193 submissions.
The designs will be unveiled for public viewing next Monday at a roving exhibition, and Singaporeans get a chance to vote online for one that appeals most to them.
The exhibition will begin at IMM mall in Jurong East and travel to various places until Dec 29. It will have three-dimensional models of the proposed designs, along with short videos explaining their concepts.
The memorial is slated to open in 2027.
The international firms that entered the design competition were required to partner local players, and inspiration for the designs came from diverse sources.
For example, Australian firm Cox Architecture drew inspiration from the Singapore flag in coming up with a design that features an abstract crescent moon, marked by five pathways representing the five stars, said its project director Ronan Moss.
The firm, which designed the Helix Bridge, collaborated with local firm architects61 for the offering.
Another Australian firm, Johnson Pilton Walker, in collaboration with local firm RDC Architects, came up with a circular design that was also inspired by the flag's crescent moon as a sign of looking into the future.
Meanwhile, Singapore-and Shanghai-based 8DGE has offered a circular design which rises above a landscaped podium.
Its founder Tan Ming Yin said: "We designed for a journey that looks not only inwards, a contemplative space where we ponder on our beginnings, but also outwards, where we set our sights upon the future."
8DGE partnered local firm RSP Architects, which was behind the new Funan mall.
Japanese firm Kengo Kuma & Associates and local firm K2LD Architects went for a linear design with a flowing green terrain that leads to an amphitheatre.
The only solo firm on the shortlist is DP Architects, a home-grown firm behind People's Park Complex. For the memorial, it proposed a cradle-like curved form inspired by the "hands of our founding fathers". Its chief executive Angelene Chan said: "It's an expression of gratitude for how (our founders) raised a nation."
The memorial, which will be on a 5ha site in Bay East Garden in the Marina Bay area, covers the period in Singapore after World War II to its first few decades of independence. It will be served by the upcoming Founders' Memorial MRT station on the Thomson-East Coast Line and there will be various food and beverage outlets in the area.
After the online voting closes at the end of next month, a seven-member jury will evaluate the designs, and public feedback based on the online votes will play a big part in the jury's decision, said a spokesman.
The winning design will be announced in the first quarter of next year and construction is expected to start in 2021. Singaporeans can vote for their favourite design at www.foundersmemorial.sg from now until the end of next month.
