Bereaved families and survivors of the Grenfell Tower fire are to meet with potential design teams about a future memorial to be built on the site.
Some 28 design teams had applied to be part of the project and a shortlist of five has now been announced.
In what the Grenfell Tower Memorial Commission described as an “extensive second round of evaluation”, the teams will meet with bereaved, survivors and those living in the surrounding community to hear their views.
Separate to the commission’s work, a decision on the future of the tower itself is expected to be made by the Housing Secretary Angela Rayner next month.
The Government has previously said there will be no changes to the site before the eighth anniversary in June.
They added that structural engineering advice remained unchanged “in that the building (or that part of it that was significantly damaged) should be carefully taken down”.
What is left of the tower has stood in place since the fatal disaster on June 14, 2017 with a covering on the building featuring a large green heart accompanied by the words “forever in our hearts”.
The Government’s latest update regarding the site acknowledged views within the community including both that the tower’s presence on the skyline helps ensure what happened is not forgotten while also being a painful reminder for those who live, work and study nearby.
The memorial commission, in a 2023 report, set out a series of recommendations for a “sacred space” in the area of the tower, designed to be a “peaceful place for remembering and reflecting”.
The 2017 fire at Grenfell Tower in west London claimed 72 lives (Lucy North/PA)
It said the space should include a garden, a monument and a dedicated space for the private expression of grief and mourning for the families who lost loved ones.
The winning design team is set to be selected in summer.
The shortlist includes four UK-based teams, namely Curl La Tourelle and Head Architecture; Freehaus; George King Architects and Grow to Know; and Office Sian.
The fifth candidate, New South, is France and Belgium-based and is currently involved in designing a religious and cultural centre in central Paris.
In a joint statement, the memorial commission’s 10 community representatives said: “Having a shortlist of teams brings us another step closer to turning the Grenfell community’s memorial vision into a physical reality.
“Through this process, we intend to identify and appoint a specialist and worthy design team.
“One that has proven experience of working on sensitive and community-focused projects, and who can leave no doubt in our minds about the integrity with which they will approach the vital task of designing a beautiful and fitting future memorial.
“Our 72 loved ones, and our community, deserve nothing less.”
The Royal Institute of British Architects (Riba), which has helped in the shortlisting process, paid tribute to the “number and quality of the initial entries and the compassion, thoughtfulness and clarity of the entrants’ desire to undertake this important community-led commission”.
The commission said it expects the memorial design to be sufficiently developed to enable a planning application to be submitted in late 2026.