The proposal for the RIBA international design competition is a Ring of Light shapped into a monumental public artwork, conceived as a spiritual landmark.
Developed for the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) International Design Competition for The Wall, the project reimagines prayer, light, and landscape as a single architectural gesture. The structure translates collective belief into a visible and enduring form.
Concept: A Halo in the Landscape
The project begins with light.
A circular wall rises gently from the ground, forming a glowing halo visible from afar. From nearby roads and from the sky, the structure appears as a thin ring of light. As clouds pass, the wall pulses. As reflections shift, it almost disappears.
Because the wall reacts to the sun, it never appears the same twice.
Material as Meaning
The wall is made of one million glass bricks.
Each brick shares the same dimensions, yet each remains subtly unique. Quartz comes from seabeds. Iron salts come from deserts. Together, these materials create variations in colour and translucency.
Every brick carries an engraving. The inscription records its origin and the prayer it represents. As a result, the wall becomes both a collective monument and an archive of individual voices.
Form and Threshold
The halo emerges from a rising cylindrical form.
One edge barely touches the ground, creating a seamless entrance. Here, architecture forms a threshold between earth and sky. Visitors pass beneath the ring and enter a protected interior landscape.
At the centre, nature grows freely. Trees and wildflowers form an abundant garden. The space invites stillness, reflection, and gathering.
Time, Weather, and Permanence
Glass ensures longevity.
Rain washes the bricks. Water runs across their surfaces and gathers briefly before disappearing. Light returns again and again, animating the wall over generations.
While people pass through, the structure remains. The project accepts weather, ageing, and time as part of its life rather than something to resist.
A New Public Landmark
The competition envisioned The Wall as a new national landmark.
Potentially the size of 62 houses and located beside a motorway, the structure speaks to movement, pause, and visibility. It addresses those passing at speed as much as those who stop.
Through scale, material, and light, the proposal transforms infrastructure-adjacent land into a place of meaning.
Competition Context
The competition was initiated by the charity Network – The Evangelical Council for the Manchester Area Trust and inspired by an idea from former Leicester City FC Chaplain Richard Gamble.
The brief invited designers to imagine a structure where one million answered prayers could take architectural form. This proposal responds by combining symbolism, material honesty, and landscape integration.
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