World Trade Center Memorial Competition Text - Entry #350559

A brilliant cone, a glittering lens and a vibrant civic space. The World Trade Center Site Memorial will be a space for reflection, a garden for remembrance and a lively city plaza for living. It will be a sober resting place for the dead and a dignified haven to mark names lest we forget. It can be all these things not just because of the scale of the site, but also because of the scale of the events it marks. It will generate a strong life force at the heart of a space where at one time it felt as if there could only ever be a void. It will be open and welcoming to the survivors, those who lost loved ones and to everyone who felt - and still feels - the ripples from the events of September 11th 2001. While there are several design elements that address the multiple programmatic demands of the brief, two central elements will be the most dramatic and telling on the site, representing the past and offering an ideal for the future; a stone lens hugging the ground and a metal cone rising true to the sky.

A Lens

A broad dome of sparkling granite blocks forms a concave lens two hundred feet in diameter positioned at the center of the site between the twin tower footprints. Composed of 3022 unmarked stone blocks, each uniquely cut and fitted hand-tight against its neighbor, this sliced sphere represents the mass of humanity that was lost. It is a lens through which events are brought into focus, made clear and distinct from background noise and distractions. When one walks up and across the surface, one can see the representation of each individual and their interrelationship with others lost in the tragic events. The lens itself is a full circle with the cone at its origin, however there are multiple bands of concentric paved circles that intersect the lens and extend out into the surrounding plaza area. Each 'ripple' has a distinct center point representing one of four crash sites: the twin towers, the Pentagon and the Pennsylvania crash site. These ripples in stone spread out beyond the immediate confines of the site to signal the presence of the memorial site.

A Cone

Slender and graceful, this stainless steel structure will rise from the center of the site and be immediately visible from all around. Contrasting and distinct against the surrounding angular built planes, the cone will curve quickly upward from a broad base to become a tapered plumb-line leading skyward. By night, powerful lights integrated at its base will send a beam straight up to hit the cloud base, or dissipate in the night sky. Thus the previous shadows of the twin towers are resolved to one strong line marking the location to viewers beyond the immediate vicinity.

A Civic Space

While the lens and cone take up a substantial part of the proscribed competition area, much of the rest of the site is left free of architectural elements. Thus the site uses the traditional conceptual form of a plaza, with static activity occurring at its edges, and more dynamic interactions occurring in the middle. Interaction, discussion and communication are key concepts in the design and beyond the creation of an outstanding memorial, the design strives to create a civil, civic public space that is part of the city. The design and siting of the memorial allows for appreciation and comprehension of the space, but also to allow for free movement of people about the site as they interact with the key elements. With the volume of visitors expected, care must be taken to ensure that people are secure and comfortable in their personal space during what will be a traumatic and wrenching experience. The scale of the space is such that large numbers of people can move around the site unimpeded.

Contemplation & Reflection

While the lens and cone are large-scale, highly visible and relatively open elements, more intimately scaled areas sit immediately beside and allow private contemplation in the shade under the canopy of a bosque of one hundred mature trees. This square grid, eleven trees on edge, is eroded by the lens and the overhang of surrounding buildings and ties several distinct but delicate programs together: spaces for quiet visitation and contemplation, spaces for families and loved ones of victims and the resting-place of the unidentified remains from the World Trade Center site. Raised planters for the trees define unique semi-private spaces that contain benches and seating areas for visitors which orient in multiple directions. The bosque's situation in the shadiest corner of the site will ensure that the spaces for reflection are cool, calm and quiet, physically removed from the main memorial but visually linked through the trunks. Planting against the walls and structure containing the unidentified remains will further enhance this shady and intimate space.

Commemoration & Celebration

While all 3022 victims are represented by the granite blocks in the lens, each shall further be identified appropriately in a space defined along the east-west ramp to the south of the site. Set no higher than chest-height on a stone wall, these names will be visible from within the bosque and may be approached by visitors. The final design and details of the naming convention are to be developed in consultation with appropriate representative groups. The final element of the design is related to its future success as a vibrant city space. A wedge-shaped amphitheatre nestles in the north-west corner of the footprint of the North Tower and is angled to provide a view to a stage that is defined by the full footprint. Thus performances and activities can occur in full view of the memorial, but without interrupting or disrespecting the quiet nature of the bosque and its associated programs.

© Christopher D. Gray 2003