Sail with the Light: Shipwreck Memorial Hall

On 24 November 1999, the ro-ro vessel Dashun of Shandong Yantai Ship Ferry Co Ltd, carrying 302 passengers and 61 cars, set off from the local port of Yantai with the target of Dalian.The “11-24” accident was a significant liability accident caused by the captain’s poor decision making an command, improper maneuvering and operation of the ship, overloading of the ship’s vehicles and poor fastening under adverse weather and sea conditions.The “Dashun” was a natural disaster, but also an artificial, a manufactured disaster, a disaster that could have been avoid.Although no single building can represent the tragic scenes of the shipwreck, architecture remains a powerful tool for presenting historical influences, human experiences ，and realities, and contributing to social change.The design is intended to remind the tragedy of the shipwreck of the Dashun and as a quiet, thought-provoking public space for the families of the shipwreck victims, young people and other social groups.The design is located in the Yantai Fushan District Urban Exhibition Centre, bordering the Yantai Development Zone, surrounded by the bay and on the same coastline as the shipwreck of the Dashun. The recently completed Urban Exhibition Centre provides foot traffic to the site.With this geographical location, visitors are able to better integrate into the events and generate emotions by placing them within the narrative space.The main purpose of the design is to create a home for those who are silent at the bottom of the sea, where the shipwrecked will become the light of the stars, gathering at the bottom of the sea and giving spiritual support to their relatives and friends. The building reunites them here, telling each other their regrets and thoughts. It also reflects on the powerlessness and insignificance of human beings in the face of uncontrollable disasters, warning people to respect life and creating an immersive experience in space through the interaction of light and shadow.One of the primary features of the building is that only the two spreading corners are exposed to the sea, while the rest of the building is underwater, allowing the space to be freely shaped. The spatial design draws on existing memorials, exhibitions and the potential memories of the disaster. People’s perceptions of the disaster are influenced by the space: the depth at which it sank, the height of the sun, the refractive quality of the light and the weather on that day, capturing the memory in space through the interaction of light and shadow. For some visitors it may be an ordinary visit, for the families of the victims it may be a ritual visit that will affect them for the rest of their lives.The building enriches the narrative structure of the memorial by guiding visitors along a richly varied pathway into a series of experiential spaces at different heights and with different light styles, allowing them to be better integrated into the area.The organization of the space is linked by emotional lines, with the curving sunken entrance that exposes the sea providing visual direction and guiding people into the room. The use of ceiling heights and wall changes create an oppressive atmosphere, as well as the refraction of natural light from light to dark through the careful introduction of the sea, suggesting the direction of the space and leading people to walk under the sea as if they were at the scene of a shipwreck.The display space simulates the messy cabins of a boat ride, with strawmen nets spread throughout the cabin, displaying the remains of the wreckage on a grid. The light gradually begins to brighten in the foreground, leaving a mottled and disorienting light and shadow as visitors wander through the film of light, as if chasing through it searching for their loved ones who perished.Walking against the intense light towards the space exposed to the water, where the sunlight turns into dots of starlight, filtered through the roof of the building, forming beams of light that change freely with the sun, a beam of light, like a life, where it meets with loved ones and friends, the baptism of sunlight heals the soul and brings hope and hope to the families of the victims.Essentially reflecting the concept of a shipwreck, from arrival to departure, the building provides a narrative path for all visitors, focusing attention on the experience of the shipwreck away from everyday life, allowing people to deeply experience the actual shipwreck scenario and thus provoking reflection.The siting considers a range of issues, creating meaningful open urban spaces, using elements of natural light to the full in the building, relating to the eventful nature of the shipwreck book. The building adapting to the amenity of the local environment, serving the people and the city, which should also be a constant theme in the city.