Word: aradical
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Before each of the finalists presented their final schemes, jurors engaged them in conversation, attempting to bring out the best of each design. “Reflecting Absence” was at that time the work of Michael Arad, a young architect for the New York City Housing Authority. Arad’s design featured a barren plaza, with two voids where the World Trade Center towers once stood. Streams of water poured into the voids. Names of the victims were to be located in a space in the memorial itself, which visitors could descend into...
...Arad added renowned landscape architect Peter Walker to his team before the final round of the competition. “I insisted that he have a landscape architect of national stature added to the team,” says Van Valkenburgh. “I said I wouldn’t care who it was and I didn’t think it was appropriate that we tell him who to use...I think his wisdom in choosing Walker was the beginning of him winning...
...Valkenburgh says he sees a brilliance of the winning design due to its collaboration, a practice that he has carried through in many projects. “He was very wise in picking Pete [Walker], and you know Pete’s in his early 70s and Michael [Arad] is 30,” says Van Valkenburgh. “They had good chemistry...
...think Maya’s project, the Vietnam Memorial, is extremely beautiful...but I don’t think it’s about absence. It’s a powerful object,” says Van Valkenburgh. He points out that in contrast, “[Arad]’s initial idea was that the Hudson flowed into these displaced tower voids...
...Valkenburgh says the downward movement of water into the abyss will continue to mark the collapse that made this the site of tragedy. Van Valkenburgh believes the addition of the landscape component has made a compelling idea that much stronger. “What happened for me was when Arad added Peter Walker, he turned the upper level into a place with civic responsibility. I mean it was an austere and mean plaza initially. But Walker made it a very humane place,” he says...