NEW YORK | National September 11 Memorial & Museum

[Þróndeimr]

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

[Þróndeimr]

Site section illustration. @Snøhetta

[Þróndeimr]

Snøhetta's architectural design statement for the Pavilion.
The Museum Pavilion is the primary structure above ground at the Memorial site, serving to guide foot traffic and to provide a visual point of
reference within a large area surrounded by several high towers. Its low, horizontal form can be seen easily from all directions and provides a
sense of intimacy in an otherwise capacious urban space. Its materials and gestures are designed to create a transitional architectural link
between the urban surroundings and the Memorial grounds, similar to the unifying architectural features of many other parks and squares in
Manhattan.

A significant aspect of the Pavilion’s identity is formed around a large glazed atrium situated over the Museum’s Memorial Hall and near the center
of the Memorial Plaza. The atrium allows visitors to see into the Museum where two large steel columns from the original World Trade Center
buildings are on display. These columns, often referred to as “tridents” because of their trunk‐like split shapes, form a harmonious visual link to the
surrounding shrub oak trees of the Memorial Plaza. As authentic structural elements recovered from the former towers, the two tridents placed
side by side will create an immediate visual reference to the distinctive “gothic arch” motif of the Twin Towers and, in their re‐erection at the
site, will convey strength, fortitude, resilience, survival, and hope.

At night, the atrium lighting will provide a distinctive glowing lantern for the Memorial Plaza, helping to create an inviting and safe environment
for evening visitors.

The unique structural design of the atrium accommodates its asymmetrical loading atop a complex network of structures below the ground. The
web‐like form of the structural solution has varying diagonal orientations providing an uncommon sculptural identity that complements the sheer
verticality of the trident columns of the former World Trade Center towers on display in the atrium.

The exterior of the building is clad primarily in metal that is composed of a simple striated mosaic of varying reflective surfaces, the subtle design
of which is reminiscent of the façade of the former World Trade Center towers. Photographs and narratives of the original towers describe a
linear pattern sometimes broken by the shadows of passing clouds or the changing patterns of the sun throughout the day and the seasons.
These images allow for the often harshly described Twin Towers to be seen in a more nuanced light. Through the changing reflections of the new
Pavilion’s exterior, the design rekindles a suggestion of this endearing and ephemeral character of the former towers.

As the sun filters through the surrounding grove of oaks, the changing reflectivity of the building also will contribute to the glittering character of
the nearby Memorial pools. The overall effect is intended to provide a gem‐like form, suggesting a sense of brightness and optimism within the
Memorial glade.

The tilted metal surfaces of the Pavilion appear to move upward from the Memorial Plaza on the north side of the building, adjacent to September
11 Plaza at the northeast corner of the Memorial. This dynamic movement creates an exciting and unique relationship to the horizontal ground
plane of the plaza design and occurs at the place where the glazed atrium is formed above the Museum’s Memorial Hall below the ground. At this
location the glass of the atrium is printed with a soft silvery pattern, providing both fluidity and a graceful integration between the two different
materials and places.

As the metal façade reaches upward from the ground it wraps around the building, lifting the mass of the structure off the surface of the Plaza.
As it rises, it passes above Greenwich Street and is punctuated by a glass marquis at the top of the southeast corner of the building. This
feature is intended to help pedestrians on the street better orient themselves to the Memorial site day or night.

Along the south side of the building, facing the southern Memorial pool, the metal façade lifts high off the ground and tilts dramatically toward the
center of the site. The distinct geometry and dynamic form provides an asymmetrical backdrop for the Memorial pool and helps to define a more
intimate setting in this part of the Memorial grounds.

The metal panels that form the exterior façades also clad the roof of the building, creating a fifth façade atop the Pavilion; when seen from above,
the Pavilion will appear integrated with the overall Memorial design.

Both the exhibition and the Museum Pavilion follow a processional circulation sequence with the main entrance doors at the northeast corner of the
building near to Greenwich Street. After their tour, visitors will exit the building to the southwest, in a different location than the entry. This will
serve to draw visitors toward the center of the site so that, after completing the circuit of the exhibition spaces in the Museum, they may view the
exterior surroundings easily.

From the center of the Memorial Plaza, visitors will have a view of both Memorial pools located above the footprints of the former towers. In
addition, visitors can easily access the newly formed Memorial glade at the southwest and September 11 Plaza at the northeast of the new
Memorial. Finally, visitors can experience the impressive panorama of surrounding commercial buildings, including the new Freedom Tower, from this
relatively unobstructed central location.

In summary, the architectural design of the Museum Pavilion is simple in its overall gesture. Its complexity is revealed in its detail structure and the
subtleties of the cladding. There are paradoxes and anomalies inherent in the site and in the design that must work together while coexisting within
a single place. The success of the building should be judged both by its functional interpretations and by its ability to promote a sense of balance
within an exceptional and diverse context. The building is at once dynamic and tranquil, delicate and rugged, clear and indirect. The architecture is
meant to challenge us to accept those often‐indefinable dualities and conflicting traits that make all societies human and that also keep us all
searching for an enviable, though not inevitable, future.

[OldWorldResident]

Originally Posted by Viperfreak2

1 WTC will be an amazing sight when finished. Hell, I think it's an amazing sight right now!

I also now agree that replacing the twins would have been a questionable plan.

There is one missed opportunity on the site (IMO) The granite walls are a nice idea in the memorial, but imagine a clear wall (like you see in modern aquariums) around the entire waterfall. You could stand below ground and look out through the cascading water at the towers footprints.

There you are!

[DinoVabec]

On the first render...Building next to 1WTC...Performing Arts Center...Are they goin' to build it or there will be an empty space like on the 1WTC renders? It's a little bit confusing because different renders in different threads showin' different stuff...

[OldWorldResident]

Originally Posted by DinoVabec

On the first render...Building next to 1WTC...Performing Arts Center...Are they goin' to build it or there will be an empty space like on the 1WTC renders? It's a little bit confusing because different renders in different threads showin' different stuff...

Yes it's confusing. The informations about this project are insufficient. At first the temporary station in the north has to deconstructed and make room for the Performing Arts Center. But it's not clear when this might happen. AFAIK there are no official renders of the Permorming Arts Center because it's still in planning process. You should treat the first render as a gap filler. It's a Gehry building, so i'm quite sure it won't be boring box . Possibly it won't be build next to 1WTC, but on the former Deutsche Bank building site. At the end of the day it's not even sure that the Center will be build at all.

June 21, 2010, 5:00 pm At Ground Zero, a Step Forward on Performing Arts Center
By ROBIN POGREBIN
At its board meeting on Tuesday, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is expected to approve an agreement under which it will be reimbursed by the city for the cost of building infrastructure below the planned performing arts center at ground zero. The construction of footings and foundations for the arts center has been estimated at $44 million. The authority, which owns the World Trade Center site, and the city have said that they are expecting that money to come from a $50 million fund controlled by the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation.

“They have committed very publicly to funding the early action work that needs to happen,” said Andrew Winters, the director of the Mayor’s Office of Capital Project Development, in an interview on Monday, referring to the corporation. “We expect them to follow through with that.”
The development corporation has been working toward an alternative plan: moving the arts center to the Deutsche Bank building site at 130 Liberty Street, which the corporation owns and where it believes the arts center can be built much faster and more cheaply. The city has argued for the importance of honoring the original master plan for ground zero, which calls for a performing arts center in the area bounded by Fulton, Greenwich, Vesey and Washington Streets — the architect Frank Gehry was selected in 2004 to design the building for its anchor tenant, the Joyce Theater, which presents dance.

The Port Authority’s plan to address the infrastructure issue “is a tangible sign that the Performing Arts Center is moving forward,” said Linda Shelton, executive director of the Joyce, on Monday. “There were a lot of skeptics that this wouldn’t happen, but this is a great step forward.”

In 2006, the Port Authority agreed to a swap that gave the performing arts center site at ground zero to the development corporation in exchange for the Deutsche Bank site, which it planned to develop as commercial space. Before the arts center could be switched to 130 Liberty, the Port Authority would have to agree to such a swap.

The Port Authority and the development corporation declined to comment on their expectations for Tuesday’s meeting, which is titled on the agenda, “Reimbursement Agreement for Early-Action Design and Construction of Below-Grade Structures and Common Infrastructure for the Performing Arts Center.”

http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/20...er=rss&emc=rss

from http://ny.curbed.com

[DinoVabec]

Thanks man...I also got some new info...

Deal Eases Way to Build Ground Zero Arts Center

By Robin Pogrebin | June 22, 2010
NY Times

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey on Tuesday approved an agreement under which the city will reimburse the authority up to $44 million for building underground foundations and infrastructure for a performing arts center at ground zero. The vote does not guarantee that an arts center will be built on the World Trade Center site, as called for by the master plan. Though the authority, which owns the site, and the city support that plan, the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation, which controls $50 million in federal funds earmarked for the project, has explored a different location nearby. The development corporation has yet to release those funds. It has been negotiating a “clawback” agreement with the city and the authority that would require that the funds be returned to the corporation, should they ultimately be used for private development rather than a performing arts center or some other public purpose. Then the corporation could direct the money toward an arts center elsewhere. The development corporation is exploring building the arts center at the Deutsche Bank site at 130 Liberty Street — which the corporation owns — where they believe construction would be faster and less expensive. Construction of an arts center at ground zero cannot begin until the PATH station is completed. An outside consultant retained by the city has estimated the cost of building the arts center at more than $540 million, according to one downtown official. The architect Frank Gehry has completed a design for the performing arts center, which is to be occupied by the Joyce Theater. But the authority’s approval “is an important step forward for both the performing arts center and the overall redevelopment of the World Trade Center site,” said Kate D. Levin, the cultural affairs commissioner. Tuesday’s vote ensures the construction of columns and other elements necessary to build something at the site — an area bounded by Fulton, Greenwich, Vesey and Washington Streets. If an arts center became unfeasible, for any reason, an office building could also be built using the foundation, officials said. “It’s our full intention that a performing arts center will be built on that location,” said Steve Coleman, a spokesman for the authority.

www.wtc.com

[Ni3lS]

Great idea and design. Thanks for creating a thread

[spectre000]

The PA is taking questions from the public on the 9/11 Museum.

http://www.panynj.gov/wtcprogress/q_a_intro.cfm

[Draegen]

Anyone know what that black greenish stuff they're placing around the memorial?

[Aashima Singh]

IMT-CDL ,Ghaziabad, a premium business school of India, is a center of excellence in management education through its distance and e-learning mode. It is well known for its distinguished faculty and innovative pedagogy. Recently, IMT-CDL was honoured with the ‘Best B-school in Distance Learning’ award at ‘Dainik Bhaskar B-School Leadership Awards` ceremony at Mumbai

[webeagle12]

Originally Posted by Draegen

Anyone know what that black greenish stuff they're placing around the memorial?

water proofing

[Mike____]

I love it! its really beautiful!

[spectre000]

Looks like they are starting the waterproofing on the floor of the north pool.

[Luo]

Simply beautiful. Congratulations!

[Belgrader]

Great idea, truly amazing. Happy independence day!!!

[TohrAlkimista]

I think this is probably the most exciting thing of the entire redevelopment of the area.

[JohnnyMass]

So simple and yet so beautiful! I love it!

[Ramses]

I don't think the design of the museum itself is very special, but i do like the waterfalls in the footprints of the twintowers. But anyway, i'm glad they didn't choose for Zaha Hadid or Calatrava in this case

[desertpunk]

I kept wondering how this memorial cost so much and now I know. It's much larger and more impressive than I thought. Should be beautiful when it's all done.