Today’s .ORG highlight is in honor of the 12th Anniversary of 9/11.
The National September 11 Memorial & Museum (www.911memorial.org), located at the site of the World Trade Center, is a tribute to the (nearly 3,000) victims that lost their lives during the terror attacks on September 11, 2001, as well as those who were killed in the WTC bombing in February 1993.
About the design:
In 2003, an international competition was held to find a design for the new 9/11 Memorial. In total, there were 5,201 submissions across 63 different countries. Below is an excerpt from statement of the winners of the design competition, Michael Arad and Peter Walker, who had submitted their idea of “Reflecting Absence”:
This memorial proposes a space that resonates with the feelings of loss and absence that were generated by the destruction of the World Trade Center and the taking of thousands of lives on September 11, 2001 and February 26, 1993. It is located in a field of trees that is interrupted by two large voids containing recessed pools. The pools are set within the footprints of the Twin Towers. A cascade of water that describes the perimeter of each square feeds the pools with a continuous stream. They are large voids, open and visible reminders of the absence.
The surface of the memorial plaza is punctuated by the linear rhythms of rows of deciduous trees, forming informal clusters, clearings and groves. This surface consists of a composition of stone pavers, plantings and low ground cover. Through its annual cycle of rebirth, the living park extends and deepens the experience of the memorial.
Surrounding the pools on bronze parapets are the names. The enormity of this space and the multitude of names underscore the vast scope of the destruction. Standing there at the water’s edge, looking at a pool of water that is flowing away into an abyss, a visitor to the site can sense that what is beyond this parapet edge is inaccessible.
The memorial plaza is designed to be a mediating space; it belongs both to the city and to the memorial. Located at street level to allow for its integration into the fabric of the city, the plaza encourages the use of this space by New Yorkers on a daily basis. The memorial grounds will not be isolated from the rest of the city; they will be a living part of it
After nearly a decade of looking at photos of what once was, we can now proudly look at this Memorial and Museum as a positive stepping-stone forward.
The Public Interest Registry team would like to send its condolences to all of those who have lost friends, family members, or colleagues during 2001 and1993, as well as the firemen, policemen, and response units that worked relentlessly to save others. Today we honor them, we will never forget.
For more information about the 9/11 Memorial & Museum, please visit www.911memorial.org.