Commemorating the tenth anniversary of the September 11th attacks is the opening of the highly anticipated and long-awaited national 9/11 Memorial at Ground Zero. Designed by architect Michael Arad and landscape architect Peter Walker, the memorial is a peaceful tree-filled plaza and two reflecting pools that sit in the footprints of the lost towers. Sustainable design principles were used to create the space, which conveys a spirit of hope and renewal and provides a quiet escape from the city.
In their proposal, Arad and Walker describe the pools as “large voids, open and visible reminders of the absence.” They wanted the space to resonate with the feelings of loss that were caused by the destruction of the World Trade Center.The pools are each nearly an acre in size, and they will feature the largest man made waterfalls in North America. Bronze panels edging the pools will be inscribed with the name of every single person who died on September 11, as well as the terror attacks in 1993.
The street-level plaza surrounding the pools has been described as one of the most eco-friendly plazas ever constructed. It’s aiming for LEED Gold certification, and has irrigation, stormwater and pest management systems that conserve energy and water.
For more on the memorial’s use of green design, visit the entire story at Inhabitat.
