(CNN) On the night of the Parkland shooting, Zachary Knudson couldn't sleep. So he turned to what he does best -- designing.

The glass artist graduated from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in 2005 and has lived in the area for 31 years. Some of the 17 victims killed on February 14, including Coach Aaron Feis , lived in his neighborhood.

Knudson felt devastated by the tragedy striking his hometown and needed a way to express his grief. Creating a sculpture to commemorate those who lost their lives seemed like the natural solution.

Within a few days, he completed the design: A metal and impact glass installation, standing approximately 17 feet tall and punctuated by fragments of colorful laminate. The names of the "17 angels," as Knudson calls them, will be boldly listed on one side.

"The shape of the structure and broken lines signify shattered glass like our shattered hearts, but it still holds together strong, mended to be even stronger than before," Knudson wrote in a Facebook post . "The sunlight passing through the colored glass and etched names will cast colorful shadows in all directions -- a reminder that from darkness comes a glimmer of hope and light."

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