12.4.2015 911 memorial .pdf

2D » Friday, December 4, 2015 » N A P L E S D A I LY N E W S

A few weeks ago I vis-ited the Sept. 11 memorial.

The difficulties of thisdesign and constructionare huge. The locationis hard enough, the NewYorkCityfinancial districtwith limited access anddi-rectly adjacent to theHud-son River. Add to that theenormityofNewYorkCityunderground utilities.

But the larger issueconfronting early think-ing about the project isthis: Just what is this sitesupposed tomemorialize?In all, 2,996 people werekilledandmore than6,000were injured, according tocommonly cited reports.The 9/11 attacks wereamong the worst terroristattacks in world history.

Thenumber andvarietyof interested parties —stakeholders, as they aretermed — is huge, and allwith legitimate and some-times conflicting con-cerns. Start with the site:although the Port Author-ity is cited as owning theland, in truth, clear title tothe entire area hasn’t beenestablished.The authorityrecognizes certain “am-biguities,” according toTheNewYorkTimes. Butthat’s the simplepart of thedesign equation.

Consider other inter-ested parties: fire and po-lice personnel, of course,collectively called “firstresponders,” a huge partof the picture with manyheroic stories; the firedepartment alone lost343firefighters.Thecity ofNew York also was a vic-

tim. City residents weretraumatized; the lossof thetowers affected almost ev-eryNewYorkerfinanciallyandemotionally. Survivorsor witnesses to the eventsat the Pentagon, or tothe 1993 bombing, or theShanksville, Pennsylvania,crash of Flight 93 experi-enced similar effects.

The 2,606 office work-ers trapped in the build-ing represent the largestgroup, but each victim lefta family, and the familieshave a part aswell. So, too,the nation as a whole hassuffered.

All The SAmeIn the end, all victims

were treated identically,

with no attempt made todifferentiate by positionor order. The loss of thevictimswas understood toleave a hugehole in the so-cial fabric of NYC, some-thing that designers finduseful — a simple, clearconcept will make designdecisions by generatingform.

Some names stand out,as theywill when humansconfront cruel events. Re-member Todd Beamer?Another ordinary Ameri-can, Mr. Beamer calmlysaid “Let’s roll” as he ledpassengers taking controlof Flight 93, likely savingthe U.S. Capitol building.

Doubtless there areother stories of heroism

associated with the event,most of which died withthe heroes. TheMemorialremembers each of thesepeople in theonlyway thatit can: by name, by wherethey were, by providingfor the public simple factsabout lost lives. These sto-ries are the richness of thememorial, each lostpersonrecalled and presentedwith calm respect.

No doubt the memorialcould have been maud-lin. It is not. Yes, the tearsrightly flow, just as theydid watching events liveon that awful day. Butthere is celebration, too. Itis not mournful, or sad. Itis strengthening. And it isa place that every Ameri-

can should visit. There isthe fact of suffering, butthere is also resolution andappreciation.

The DeSignThe winning design,

called “Reflecting Ab-sence,” was a collabora-tion between architectMichael Arad and land-scape architect PeterWalker. The symbolismapparent in constructinghuge voidswhere the tow-ers once stood is obvious;so, too, building new andlarger modern towers onthe same site. PeterWalk-er’s website has extensivecommentary on the de-sign process (http://bit.ly/msadesign_pw).

Trees, too, are usedsymbolically. A Callerypear, foundbadlydamagedon the site, transplantedseveral times and nearlydestroyed by HurricaneSandy, now occupies aspecial place near the en-trance to the undergroundmuseum.

And a word about themuseum, all underground.One walks through agroup of three narrowscreens placed on polesin the general museumapproach. Hidden projec-tors show contemporane-ous reaction of observersas the events of that awfulday unfolded. Many havehands to mouth, or overhead, or wiping tears.

It is a subtle but strongintroduction to the muse-um, a place the visitor seesthrough the eyes of thosepresent that day.

Michael Spencer, ASLA, hasbeen practicing landscapearchitecture since 1979 and ispresident of MSA Design Inc.Contact him by email: ms@msadesign.com or follow himon Twitter, @msadesign.com.His website is msadesign.com.

Symbolism is found everywhere at Sept. 11 memorial in NYC

MICHAELSPENCER

mAke iT green

One World Trade Center looms over the memorial plaza during the 2014 dedication ceremony at the National September 11Memorial Museum in New York.

ASSOCIATeD PreSS (2)

Two tridents from theWorld Trade Center areon display inside the NationalSeptember 11 MemorialMuseum in New York.

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