PULSE MEMORIAL DESIGN CONCEPT AWARDED ASLA AWARD OF EXCELLENCE

July 16, 2026

Catalyst Design Group’s Orlando Landscape Architecture team is honored to receive the 2026 ASLA Florida Award of Excellence (Philanthropic Category) for For All Those Who Just Wanted to Dance: A Permanent Pulse Memorial. The project sought to help create a permanent place of remembrance for the 49 lives taken on June 12, 2016, while celebrating Latin Night at Pulse nightclub in Orlando. After years of community advocacy, an international design competition, and the City's acquisition of the Pulse site, the City of Orlando established the Pulse Memorial Advisory Committee (PMAC), composed of survivors, family members, and others directly affected by the tragedy. Catalyst volunteered its landscape architecture services to guide a seven-month collaborative design process, helping transform the committee's stories, memories, and vision into a unified memorial concept. Through bilingual workshops, presentations, and facilitated discussions, the design team built consensus around a memorial that honors loss while embodying hope, love, empathy, and inclusivity.

The resulting conceptual design intentionally moves beyond a traditional, austere memorial to reflect the vibrant and welcoming spirit of Pulse itself. Inspired by the phrase, "for all those who just wanted to dance," shared by a PMAC member, the design features a reflection pool within the footprint of the original dancefloor, a Survivors' Common with a tribute wall and dedicated Survivors' Tree, a private gathering space for personal remembrances, and the Angel Ellipse, an accessible walkway with 49 feature columns honoring each of the victims. Additional elements include a Healing Garden, Prism Plaza, and a visitor pavilion with interpretive exhibits and gathering spaces. The concept also incorporates materials from the original Pulse building, symbolizing rebirth and continuity rather than loss alone.

With the conceptual design as a guide, the City issued a request for proposals. In July 2025, it selected a design-build team to advance the conceptual design into a permanent memorial to open in 2027. Catalyst’s Jay Hood served as a non-voting member of the selection committee and continues as technical advisor.

Watch ASLA’s video here.

PROJECT INFORMATION

• What is the Pulse Memorial?

  The Pulse Memorial is a permanent memorial planned for the former Pulse nightclub site in Orlando, honoring the 49 lives taken in the June 12, 2016 tragedy.

• What was Catalyst Design Group's role?

  Catalyst Design Group volunteered landscape architecture services to facilitate the Pulse Memorial Advisory Committee's vision and develop the conceptual design for the future memorial.

• When will the Pulse Memorial open?

  The City of Orlando selected a design-build team in 2025 to advance the project, with the memorial anticipated to open in 2027.