The UK Government has announced the five architecture firms shortlisted to design a memorial to the late Queen Elizabeth II. The memorial is set to be located in St. James Park, London. The shortlisted teams are: Foster + Partners, Heatherwick Studio, J&L Gibbons, Tom Stuart-Smith with Jamie Fobert Architects, and WilkinsonEyre. The selection for the memorial was made by the Queen Elizabeth Memorial Committee, a group established in 2023 comprised of eight British public figures, with the purpose of commemorating Britains longest reigning monarchs life of service and providing a space for pause and reflection. To be considered for the shortlist, each team was required to list examples of projects similar to the memorial conceptualized by the committee and to outline each contributors expertise.The Queen Elizabeth II Memorial will be located close to Buckingham Palace, in St. James Park next to The Mall at Marlborough Gate and includes the Blue Bridge. Once built, the memorial will be a featured monument along The Mall, the main drag of the ceremonial route from Buckingham Palace to Trafalgar Square that is used for royal processions and frequented by tourists for the Changing of the Guard. The teams selected to design the memorial are multidisciplinary. The team led by Foster + Partners includes artist Yinka Shonibare and landscape architect Michel Desvigne Paysagiste. Heatherwick Studio plans to work with sculptor Halima Cassell, landscape designer MRG Studio, and engineering firms Webb Yates and Arup. The landscape studio, J&L Gibbons is leading a team that also includes Michael Levine, a set designer; the architecture firm William Matthews Associates; and Structure Workshop and Arup as engineers. Garden designer Tom Stuart-Smith and Jamie Fobert Architectss team is rounded out by artist Adam Lowe of Factum Arte and Structure Workshop. Finally, WilkisonEyre said it would work with artists Lisa Vandy and Fiona Clark, garden designer Andy Sturgeon, and engineers Atelier One and Hilson Moran.As for next steps, the five shortlisted teams will submit their design concepts for the Queen Elizabeth II Memorial. Each will be required to develop a masterplan this spring, which will then be considered by the Selection Panel.The winning design team will be chosen by summer 2025. A final design will be announced in April 2026, close to what would have been Queen Elizabeths 100th birthday.