Ten years since the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center in New York, the National September 11 Memorial was dedicated in a private ceremony with the victims’ families. It was officially opened to the public as of today, September 12th. The opening of the 9/11 Memorial is a first step towards the closing of a long chapter of construction at the World Trade Center site.
Michael Arad of Handel Architects, with landscape architect Peter Walker, submitted the winning proposal for The National September 11 Memorial. Their design involved two large square pools on the sunken site, with waterfalls cascading into the center, where the depth is unclear. Victims’ names from the 2001 and 1993 attacks are cut into bronze panels along the two pools. A grove of trees will continue to be planted and grow to define the original footprints of the two World Trade Center buildings. The Memorial’s opening on the anniversary of the attacks is a symbolic opening for the entire site. Several other projects associated with the area are still under construction, with projected opening dates in 2012.
