Congressional Medal of Honor Memorial
Indianapolis, IN

This memorial, erected in 2000, expresses heroism using metal, glass and light.

The memorial, designed by NINebark, Inc., landscape architects, is a tribute to the human spirit, not a glorification of war. NINebark’s design inspiration for this memorial grew out of the team’s own emotional responses to the recipients’ stories. All of this is eloquently expressed in a series of illuminated curving glass panels or ‘sails’ engraved with the metal of honor recipients’ 3,410 names. Sound and light make up key components of the visitor’s experience.

As Eric Fulford, principal designer of the project states, “like a person, glass is a living material; light moves and affects the glass in a variety of ways.”

BEGA stainless steel in-grade fixtures using metal halide lamps illuminate the multiple glass panels from below. These luminaires are controlled by an H.I.D. computerized dimming system that takes into account the time of day as well as the changing sound of the recorded stories of the various heroic deeds. More BEGA products were selected to light the steps and memorial signage.