The World Trade Center Site Memorial is a new addition to New York City, a metropolis still scarred from the brutal attacks that wiped out the two twin towers and left a gaping void in the skyline of the city and in the hearts of the survivors, families of the victims, and many sympathizers who witnessed the tragedy from all over the world. Without a doubt, the pile of rubble left in place of the once-soaring towers was a sore reminder of the disaster that occurred in the city so many people call home. With that constant reminder came an inevitable sense of vulnerability and even fear that no one, not even New York City, was safe from the acts of terror.
Not too long after September 11th, the talks about what to do at the vacant disaster site commenced. On March 5th, 2002, both mayor Michael Bloomberg and governor George Pataki signed their consent in conducting an international competition for the most important focus of redevelopment and renewal of the site. This focus was a memorial that would forever commemorate the victims of September 11th attacks and provide a location for the locals and tourists alike where people could mourn the loss, heal their souls, and never forget about an event that brought the world to its knees on that fateful September morning. As the chairman of the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation, John Whitehead, stated in the formal introduction to the competition: “The memorial will not only recall life, it will reaffirm life itself.” (LMDC Guidelines, 3)
The competition was open and invited entries from anyone and everyone who was willing to submit a serious proposal. It was truly an attempt to make the process of healing a universal one, by providing a worldwide opportunity for competition participants to heal by repairing New York’s gaping wound with a magic touch of design. As the site was being cleared of the last remainder of the debris, the competition was quick to recognize that as long as there was nothing at the site, the pain still remained fresh and the empty site was a daily reminder of the tragedy to hundreds of thousands of people who passed by every day on their way to and from work.
One of the requirements of the competition was to keep in tact the foundation of the twin towers. The foundation, despite the total destruction of the skyscrapers themselves by the impact, heat and the subsequent structural failure, remained in a near-mint condition. The architect (Daniel Libeskind) of the Freedom Tower that was eventually scheduled to rise nearby asserted that the foundation had to be preserved as the key piece of the memorial. Additional program elements that were sited in the competition brief were a recognition of the victims of the attacks, space for contemplation, creation of a unique and powerful setting and historical authenticity. (LMDC Guidelines, 19)
The response to the competition brief was overwhelming. Over five thousand entries from sixty-three countries were submitted in hopes of getting the coveted winning spot. After the eight finalists had been selected, the esteemed jury deliberated before finally selecting the ultimate winning team – Michael Arad and Peter Walker’s “Reflecting Absence”.
“Reflecting Absence” was chosen for many reasons, with not only the winning design being a poignant testament to the victims of the terror attacks but with it also combining a lot of symbolism in a seamless and quiet way. The memorial does not soar above the surrounding buildings, nor does it shock with overt patriotism and bold colors. Rather, by being located among trees, it provides a lovely public park space and repose from the hectic marathon that is New York City’s daily life.
The living park surrounding the actual memorial was always a part of Michael Arad’s intent, as he wanted to balance the needs of the people who would come to the site specifically to mourn and the New Yorkers carrying on with their everyday lives. The park, this way, was designed to serve not only as a symbol of rebirth and revival after the terrorist attacks but also as a green space for future public events, the way Union Square Park and even Bryant Park arrived at becoming significant event places in the city.
The greenery is interrupted by two large voids – the footprints of the World Trade Center towers that were required to be integrated into the overall memorial design. Around the footprints, there are thirty-foot deep pools that enclose and highlight the towers’ remnants. The water falls from the ground level edges into the pools making these drops into the largest manmade waterfalls in the world.
The massive reflecting pools surrounding the footprints of the twin towers serve a two-fold function. They highlight the voids where the towers once stood and, they provide a soothing backdrop, as the water falls down from one level to another, providing an appropriate contemplative aura. At the pools’ edges, the victims’ names are etched in bronze.
Michael Arad explained his intention and the importance of the highlighting the voids with water in Places magazine: “My idea was that you would be able to stand on the plaza above, and look down into the north and south pools. I thought the edge of this void would be where you would come to understand the enormity of the event, and of the destruction.” (Places, May 2009) The impact, indeed, is just that. The depth and the breadth of the voids are impressive and visitors cannot help but be struck with awe, standing at the edges of the dramatic waterfalls.
The water falling down from the ground level pools recalls ancient symbolism and the connections between water, death and memory. As Phillip Kennicott of the Washington Post informs, the ties between water and death go back to the ancient times: “Without reference to any single myth, the flowing waters suggest the River Styx, the boundary between life and death in Greek mythology. They also suggest portals, or whirlpools, through which one might pass to some unknown beyond, or the waters of death crossed by Gilgamesh in the old Sumerian epic.”
Another Greek reference in Arad’s memorial design is that of river Lethe, a river of forgetting and oblivion. Arad successfully integrated this powerful reference into the memorial as a way of saying that sometimes it is just as important to forget as it is to remember.
All in all, Michael Arad’s September 11th Memorial achieves capturing the loss of the city and the country in a controlled, restrained but still memorable way. The Memorial’s symbolism is subtle but powerful, and speaks of tolerance and inclusivity, rather than of revenge or pride. At the Memorial, people of all nationalities and religions will be sure to feel united together under the collective feeling of grief and mourning and might even leave the site with a heavy burden lifted off their hearts and minds.