National September 11 Memorial & Museum
Visitors to the memorial museum will be presented with a sequence of experiences which allow for individual and personal encounters within an
overall context of a historical narrative. The nature of the Museum is such that the shell of the space, comprising existing foundations, the
slurry wall and other in-situ elements of the site is as much an artifact of 9/11 as the contents of the exhibitions.
Visitors to the Museum will enter through a Pavilion that will house an auditorium for public programming, a multi-purpose area for contemplation
and refreshment and a private suite reserved for victims’ family members. Two of the original steel tridents from the Twin Towers will be
enclosed within the Pavilion’s grand glass atrium, standing as references to the past, while signaling hope for the future.
From the Pavilion, visitors will descend a gently ramped “ribbon,” toward the core exhibitions at bedrock, the archeological heart of the World
Trade Center site. This descent echoes the ramp that once was used by construction workers to help build the World Trade Center and was
again used in the aftermath of the attacks for the recovery and clean-up of the site and by victims’ family members to access bedrock on
anniversaries of 9/11. From the ramp, vistas will be created, providing a sense of the vastness of the site and the scale of the original Towers.
Visitors will be able to stand between the locations of the original Twin Towers and experience their scale, which will be referenced by two
metal-clad, ethereal volumes.
The final descent to the base of the site will take visitors alongside the Vesey Street Stair remnant – also known as the “Survivor Stairs,” which
was used by hundreds to escape the destruction of the Towers on 9/11. Here the visitor arrives at bedrock level of the Museum which contains
the foundations of the original World Trade Center. To the greatest extent possible the original column bases and concrete footings that
supported the Twin Towers are exposed in the floor slab of the Museum, and they define a clear outline of the Towers. Also on this level are the
permanent and temporary exhibit galleries which tell the story of the events of 9/11 through artifacts, narratives, oral histories and multi-media
displays.
A powerful experience within the Museum is the West Chamber – an enormous space created by large sheer walls and long span trusses. This
area references both the absence of the buildings and the enormity of the site. A preserved portion of the original World Trade Center slurry
wall, which withstood the collapse of the Towers and prevented the site from being flooded by the Hudson River, will be displayed in here.
The West Chamber will also house the “Last Column” – which was returned to the site in late August 2009 for permanent installation in the
Museum. The massive “Last Column” was covered in tributes from members of the construction trades, rescue personnel, and family members
before the column was removed from the site, marking the end of the nine-month recovery efforts in May 2002.
The final leg of the visitor’s experience is a gradual ascent by escalator from bedrock back to Memorial Hall. From this ascent there are controlled
views out to the aluminum-clad tower volumes. Arrival in Memorial Hall is followed by an ascent up to the plaza, the Memorial fountains and the
active life of the city.
Architects: Davis Brody Bong Aedas and Snøhetta.
Official website: National 9/11 Memorial.org
Renderings has been visualized by Squared Design Lab. Copyright: Snøhetta
Visitors to the memorial museum will be presented with a sequence of experiences which allow for individual and personal encounters within an
overall context of a historical narrative. The nature of the Museum is such that the shell of the space, comprising existing foundations, the
slurry wall and other in-situ elements of the site is as much an artifact of 9/11 as the contents of the exhibitions.
Visitors to the Museum will enter through a Pavilion that will house an auditorium for public programming, a multi-purpose area for contemplation
and refreshment and a private suite reserved for victims’ family members. Two of the original steel tridents from the Twin Towers will be
enclosed within the Pavilion’s grand glass atrium, standing as references to the past, while signaling hope for the future.
From the Pavilion, visitors will descend a gently ramped “ribbon,” toward the core exhibitions at bedrock, the archeological heart of the World
Trade Center site. This descent echoes the ramp that once was used by construction workers to help build the World Trade Center and was
again used in the aftermath of the attacks for the recovery and clean-up of the site and by victims’ family members to access bedrock on
anniversaries of 9/11. From the ramp, vistas will be created, providing a sense of the vastness of the site and the scale of the original Towers.
Visitors will be able to stand between the locations of the original Twin Towers and experience their scale, which will be referenced by two
metal-clad, ethereal volumes.
The final descent to the base of the site will take visitors alongside the Vesey Street Stair remnant – also known as the “Survivor Stairs,” which
was used by hundreds to escape the destruction of the Towers on 9/11. Here the visitor arrives at bedrock level of the Museum which contains
the foundations of the original World Trade Center. To the greatest extent possible the original column bases and concrete footings that
supported the Twin Towers are exposed in the floor slab of the Museum, and they define a clear outline of the Towers. Also on this level are the
permanent and temporary exhibit galleries which tell the story of the events of 9/11 through artifacts, narratives, oral histories and multi-media
displays.
A powerful experience within the Museum is the West Chamber – an enormous space created by large sheer walls and long span trusses. This
area references both the absence of the buildings and the enormity of the site. A preserved portion of the original World Trade Center slurry
wall, which withstood the collapse of the Towers and prevented the site from being flooded by the Hudson River, will be displayed in here.
The West Chamber will also house the “Last Column” – which was returned to the site in late August 2009 for permanent installation in the
Museum. The massive “Last Column” was covered in tributes from members of the construction trades, rescue personnel, and family members
before the column was removed from the site, marking the end of the nine-month recovery efforts in May 2002.
The final leg of the visitor’s experience is a gradual ascent by escalator from bedrock back to Memorial Hall. From this ascent there are controlled
views out to the aluminum-clad tower volumes. Arrival in Memorial Hall is followed by an ascent up to the plaza, the Memorial fountains and the
active life of the city.
Architects: Davis Brody Bong Aedas and Snøhetta.
Official website: National 9/11 Memorial.org
Renderings has been visualized by Squared Design Lab. Copyright: Snøhetta