September 11 Memorial & Museum Design To Go On Display
6.17.09 | New York, NY | A Space Within: The National September 11 Memorial & Museum is a public showcase of the eight-acre memorial and museum taking shape at the heart of the World Trade Center site. The exhibition, which includes new details of the memorial and museum plans, will contain models, construction photographs, renderings, drawings, videos and a series of public programs. It will be on view at the Center for Architecture from June 25–September 14, 2009. A Space Within was organized by the AIA New York Chapter in partnership with the Center for Architecture Foundation and the National September 11 Memorial & Museum.
In the aftermath of the events of September 11th, 2001, one of the world’s most densely developed business districts became, for many, hallowed ground. Immediately after the terrorist attacks of 9/11, a grassroots movement emerged to build a tribute to those who had been killed. These efforts grew into an international design competition. An astounding response of 13,683 individuals registered for the competition, and they submitted over 5000 designs.
As the selection process moved forward, questions quickly arose: How could one site serve the needs of victims’ families, survivors of the attacks, members of the surrounding communities, business interests, and visitors from around the word? How should the site relate to the rest of Lower Manhattan? The new construction on the World Trade Center site would require a clear separation of sacred and secular; it would need a defined space within the larger redevelopment to remain a tribute.
The memorial jury selected a proposal by architect Michael Arad, developed in collaboration with landscape architect Peter Walker. “The memorial, and the manner in which one descended to bedrock differentiated Michael Arad’s competition entry from all others,” said Rick Bell, Executive Director of AIA New York (who helped draft the memorial’s program). “The jury and many others saw the ‘space within’ as taking precedence over other attributes of the site plan,” he continued.
The selected design, “Reflecting Absence,” calls for two sunken, one-acre-large pools. The pools, occupying the footprints of the Twin Towers, are constantly refilled by cascades of water. Bronze parapets, inscribed with the names of the nearly 3,000 victims of the terrorist attacks of September 11 and the February 26, 1993 WTC bombing, surround the voids. With the memorial plan selected, a museum began to take shape alongside it. The memorial museum, designed by Davis Brody Bond Aedas, incorporates remnants of the original site architecture—the WTC slurry wall, the Twin Towers’ box column remnants, and the Vesey Street stairs—into its plan. The artifact-filled museum is entered via a light-filled pavilion, conceived by the international architecture firm Snøhetta, which brings the brightness of the memorial plaza into the museum.
In the past year, the memorial and museum have made clear progress. Set within the framework of the WTC site master plan by Studio Daniel Libeskind—and the widely-publicized struggle over the fate of commercial developments—that the memorial and museum have steadily advanced towards realization is that much greater of an achievement. The memorial and plaza are expected to open by September 11, 2011, with the museum opening one year later.
EXHIBITION OPENING RECEPTION
The exhibition opening for A Space Within will be held June 25, 2009, from 6–8pm at the Center for Architecture. Media are welcome to attend. Please rsvp to Emily Nemens at 212-358-6126.
For information on exhibition images, press tours and interviews for A Space Within,
please contact Emily Nemens at [email protected] or 212-358-6126.
RELATED EVENTS
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Panel discussion with architects: Steven Davis, FAIA (Davis Brody Bond Aedas), Craig Dykers, AIA (Snøhetta), and Michael Arad, AIA (Handel Architects).
Additional panel discussions will be announced in the coming weeks. Please check for updates on AIANY’s calendar, aiany.org/calendar.
EXHIBITION ON VIEW
A Space Within: The National September 11 Memorial & Museum will be on view from June 25 to September 14, 2009. The Center for Architecture is located at 536 LaGuardia Place, between Bleecker and West 3rd Streets in Greenwich Village, New York City. (Directions) The Center for Architecture is open 9am–8pm, Monday-Friday and 11am–5pm, Saturday. A printed guide appropriate for children, ages 7 and up, will be available.
EXHIBITION CREDITS
The exhibition and related programs are organized by the AIA New York Chapter in partnership with the Center for Architecture Foundation and the National September 11 Memorial & Museum. Thomas Mellins was the exhibition curator, and A Space Within was designed by Incorporated Architecture & Design.
SPONSORSHIP
The exhibition is made possible through partnership with the National September 11 Memorial & Museum, with lead sponsor support from Digital Plus, Faithful+Gould and Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, sponsor-level support from Associated Fabrication, and supporter-level sponsorship by Adamson Associates, Fisher Marantz Stone, Mueser Rutledge Consulting Engineers and Snøhetta.
About the AIA New York Chapter
AIA New York is oldest and largest chapter of the American Institute of Architects. With more than 4,200 practicing architects, allied professionals, students, and community members interested in architecture and design, we are located in a storefront gallery and design center in Greenwich Village. The AIA New York Chapter is dedicated to three goals: design excellence, public outreach, and professional development. Towards these aims, the chapter sponsors an array of programs and exhibitions, publishes a magazine, OCULUS, coordinates 24 committees and works with its charitable affiliate, the Center for Architecture Foundation, to provide scholarship and educational opportunities for students and the general public. For more information on the American Institute of Architects New York Chapter, visit the website www.aiany.org or contact Emily Nemens at AIA New York, 212-358-6126, [email protected].
In the aftermath of the events of September 11th, 2001, one of the world’s most densely developed business districts became, for many, hallowed ground. Immediately after the terrorist attacks of 9/11, a grassroots movement emerged to build a tribute to those who had been killed. These efforts grew into an international design competition. An astounding response of 13,683 individuals registered for the competition, and they submitted over 5000 designs.
As the selection process moved forward, questions quickly arose: How could one site serve the needs of victims’ families, survivors of the attacks, members of the surrounding communities, business interests, and visitors from around the word? How should the site relate to the rest of Lower Manhattan? The new construction on the World Trade Center site would require a clear separation of sacred and secular; it would need a defined space within the larger redevelopment to remain a tribute.
The memorial jury selected a proposal by architect Michael Arad, developed in collaboration with landscape architect Peter Walker. “The memorial, and the manner in which one descended to bedrock differentiated Michael Arad’s competition entry from all others,” said Rick Bell, Executive Director of AIA New York (who helped draft the memorial’s program). “The jury and many others saw the ‘space within’ as taking precedence over other attributes of the site plan,” he continued.
The selected design, “Reflecting Absence,” calls for two sunken, one-acre-large pools. The pools, occupying the footprints of the Twin Towers, are constantly refilled by cascades of water. Bronze parapets, inscribed with the names of the nearly 3,000 victims of the terrorist attacks of September 11 and the February 26, 1993 WTC bombing, surround the voids. With the memorial plan selected, a museum began to take shape alongside it. The memorial museum, designed by Davis Brody Bond Aedas, incorporates remnants of the original site architecture—the WTC slurry wall, the Twin Towers’ box column remnants, and the Vesey Street stairs—into its plan. The artifact-filled museum is entered via a light-filled pavilion, conceived by the international architecture firm Snøhetta, which brings the brightness of the memorial plaza into the museum.
In the past year, the memorial and museum have made clear progress. Set within the framework of the WTC site master plan by Studio Daniel Libeskind—and the widely-publicized struggle over the fate of commercial developments—that the memorial and museum have steadily advanced towards realization is that much greater of an achievement. The memorial and plaza are expected to open by September 11, 2011, with the museum opening one year later.
EXHIBITION OPENING RECEPTION
The exhibition opening for A Space Within will be held June 25, 2009, from 6–8pm at the Center for Architecture. Media are welcome to attend. Please rsvp to Emily Nemens at 212-358-6126.
For information on exhibition images, press tours and interviews for A Space Within,
please contact Emily Nemens at [email protected] or 212-358-6126.
RELATED EVENTS
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Panel discussion with architects: Steven Davis, FAIA (Davis Brody Bond Aedas), Craig Dykers, AIA (Snøhetta), and Michael Arad, AIA (Handel Architects).
Additional panel discussions will be announced in the coming weeks. Please check for updates on AIANY’s calendar, aiany.org/calendar.
EXHIBITION ON VIEW
A Space Within: The National September 11 Memorial & Museum will be on view from June 25 to September 14, 2009. The Center for Architecture is located at 536 LaGuardia Place, between Bleecker and West 3rd Streets in Greenwich Village, New York City. (Directions) The Center for Architecture is open 9am–8pm, Monday-Friday and 11am–5pm, Saturday. A printed guide appropriate for children, ages 7 and up, will be available.
EXHIBITION CREDITS
The exhibition and related programs are organized by the AIA New York Chapter in partnership with the Center for Architecture Foundation and the National September 11 Memorial & Museum. Thomas Mellins was the exhibition curator, and A Space Within was designed by Incorporated Architecture & Design.
SPONSORSHIP
The exhibition is made possible through partnership with the National September 11 Memorial & Museum, with lead sponsor support from Digital Plus, Faithful+Gould and Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, sponsor-level support from Associated Fabrication, and supporter-level sponsorship by Adamson Associates, Fisher Marantz Stone, Mueser Rutledge Consulting Engineers and Snøhetta.
About the AIA New York Chapter
AIA New York is oldest and largest chapter of the American Institute of Architects. With more than 4,200 practicing architects, allied professionals, students, and community members interested in architecture and design, we are located in a storefront gallery and design center in Greenwich Village. The AIA New York Chapter is dedicated to three goals: design excellence, public outreach, and professional development. Towards these aims, the chapter sponsors an array of programs and exhibitions, publishes a magazine, OCULUS, coordinates 24 committees and works with its charitable affiliate, the Center for Architecture Foundation, to provide scholarship and educational opportunities for students and the general public. For more information on the American Institute of Architects New York Chapter, visit the website www.aiany.org or contact Emily Nemens at AIA New York, 212-358-6126, [email protected].
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