Jocelyn WU | WU STUDIO
Associate ASLA LEED
Master of Landscape Architecture 

The Nelson Mandela Memorial is located in Skylawn Memorial Park in the Bay Area, looking out over the Pacific Ocean and the Santa Cruz Mountain Range.

It is a place of reflection and inspiration – a landmark where people can gather to remember the past, celebrate the accomplishments of Nelson Mandela, and gather strength for future fights for social justice and human rights. It’s wheelchair accessible.

The monument itself is basically a round fountain from the plan view. Half of the edge of the circle has pillars sticking out, reaching for the sky, indicating the variety of people in the world. There are texts on the pillars telling stories of Nelson Mandela, which serves as introductory and educational aims. The other half of the edge of the circle is flat, symbolizing that every single men in the world is equal and free. There is water running out of the circle from the flat edge side, draining to the gravels around the circle. Visitors could walk around and touch the water, listening to the sound of water in the serene environment, and feeling the running water, the never-ceasing spirits of Nelson Mandela, fighting for social justice and freedom. From the center of the fountain, there is mist coming out, symbolizing the unavoidable obstacles we would embrace in the way following Mandela’s roles, and in the meanwhile, encouraging us never to give up hope to continue to fight for freedom and equality. 

The plants used around the monument are mainly the Bird-of-paradise and native wild grasses, showing our yearning and respects to Nelson Mandela. The Bird-of-paradise is a native plant of South Africa, flowers of which are like brightly colored birds in flight, pursuing dreams.