"Wall of Names with Wildflowers" by U.S. National Park Service , public domain
Flight 93Design Elements |
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National Park Service
U.S. Department of the Interior
Flight 93
National Memorial
Pennsylvania
Design
Elements
Timeless in simplicity and beauty,
like its landscape, both stark and serene,
the Memorial should be quiet in reverence, yet powerful in form,
a place both solemn and uplifting.
It should instill pride, and humility.
The Memorial should offer intimate experience,
yet be heroic in scale.
Its strong framework should be open to natural change
and allow freedom of personal interpretation.
We want to restore life here,
to heal the land, and nourish our souls.
In this place, a scrap yard will become a gateway
and a strip mine will grow into a flowering meadow.
But more than restoring health,
the Memorial should be radiant,
in loving memory of the passengers and crew who gave their lives on Flight 93.
NPS Photo / B. Torrey Schwartz
Paul Murdoch, Architect
Design Contest
Flight 93 National Memorial has transformed significantly since Congress authorized its
development in 2002. An international design competition was held to choose the design
for the permanent memorial. Over 1,100 entries were submitted from 27different countries. The work of Paul Murdoch Architects and Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects
was selected after a two-stage competition. The three major components of that design
are complete. The first constructed features of the memorial, the Memorial Plaza and
the Wall of Names, were dedicated on September 10, 2011. The Visitor Center Complex
opened to the public on September 10, 2015. The Tower of Voices, a wind chime tower,
was dedicated on September 9, 2018.
Gateway Entrance
The gateway entrance is located on US Route 30/Lincoln highway. The Approach Road,
leading into the memorial, sets the tone and color palette as you drive through the
national memorial. The concrete pedestal of the entrance sign contains the pattern of
hemlock barn beams that is used throughout the memorial’s design, a nod to its rural
past. The sign is black in color to remind us of the industrial coal mining history, and the
rusted guard rails hint at the past as a coal mining haul road. The varied uses of this land
become apparent.
Tower Of Voices
The Tower of Voices is a monumental,
ninety-three foot tall musical instrument
holding forty wind chimes, representing
the forty passengers and crew members.
It is intended to be a landmark feature
near the memorial entrance, visible from
US Route 30/Lincoln Highway. The Tower
of Voices provides a living memorial in
sound to remember the forty through their
ongoing voices.
There are no other chime structures like the Tower of Voices in the world. The shape
and orientation of the tower are designed to optimize air flow through the tower walls.
The chime system is designed using music theory to identify a mathematically developed
range of frequencies needed to produce the musical notes. The pitches are based on a
C Lydian mode and are C,D,E,F#,G, and B. The applied music theory produces musically
compatible tones with slight variations in tuning frequencies, creating a set of forty tones
(voices) that connote, through consonance, the serenity and nobility of the site. The
dissonance recalls the tragic event of September 11, 2001.
Flight Path Walkway
Overlook
Portal Walls
Visitor Center
The black granite walkway leading through
the tall Portal Walls is located along
the flight path of Flight 93 and is also a
timeline of events. The high walls draw the
eyes skyward. Upon reaching the overlook,
which continues the flight path, the view
opens to the crash site, marked by a 17-ton
sandstone boulder, and the Wall of Names.
The Portal Walls begin at a height of approximatetly 35 feet, connecting the circle created
by the Allée and following the natural contours of the landscape. At their tallest point,
they draw the eye skyward, directing your gaze to the airspace along the flight path. The
exterior walls of the Visitor Center and the Portal Walls are cast concrete. The concrete
was poured in molds made from old hemlock barn beams, giving the walls the texture
of the wooden beams. The use of hemlock design patterns throughout the memorial is a
reference to the hemlock trees which absorbed the impact of the crash and subsequent
explosion of Flight 93. It also references the rural landscape of this tragic event in history.
Field of Honor
Allée
Memorial Groves
A curving landform formally defines the edge of the Field of Honor, the field which Flight
93 flew over in its final second of flight. This circle of embrace enhances the landscape
and monumental scale of the this area to commemorate the actions of the 40 passengers
and crew members of Flight 93. The Allée is lined with 320 Red Sunset maple trees (Acer
rubrum) and gently descends, crossing the wetlands, to the focal point, the crash site and
debris field.
The Memorial Groves, 40 groves of 40 trees for each passenger and crew member,
radiate along Ring Road. The Allée, a formal walking path, follows the edge of the groves
and connects the Visitor Center Complex and the Memorial Plaza, crossing the wetlands
via the Wetlands Bridge. The groves are planted with seven species of Pennsylvania
hardwoods: Red Oak, White Oak, Black Oak, Scarlet Oak, Chestnut Oak, Black Gum,
and Sugar Maple.
CrashSite/Debris Field
Wall of Names
Ceremonial Gate
As the final resting place for the
passengers and crew, the crash site and
debris field is the focus of the memorial’s
design. Here is where the plane crashed
into a grove of hemlock trees. Visitors
may walk along the boundary of the crash
site. An approximately 17-ton sandstone
boulder marks the general area of impact.
The Wall of Names is located along a continuation of the flight path. A wall of forty
polished marble panels are inscribed with the names of each passenger and crew
member. The space between each panel highlights their unique individuality. From a
distance, the Wall of Names appears solid, representing their unified action. Look closely
at the wall and you will be able to identify the passengers from the crew members. An
unborn child is honored on its mother’s wall; and a mother writes her son’s name in his
native language characters.
The Ceremonial Gate separates the Wall of Names from the crash site. It is only opened
on September 11 for family members to visit the crash site together, after the annual
remembrance ceremony. Family members may visit the crash site any day of the year but
use a private entrance gate at other times. The Ceremonial Gate is constructed of hewn
hemlock beams with forty angles cut into it, again representing the crew and passengers.
Wetlands
Wildflower Meadows
Among the restorative features intended to heal the landscape, a series of wildflower
meadows were planted. Wetlands and ponds adjacent to the crash site are preserved as
natural features in the design and construction of Flight 93 National Memorial. Originally
a part of the surface mining activities, the wetlands have been transformed into a selfsustaining natural habitat and aquatic eco-system. Local flora and fauna reside and thrive
here now. In addition to creating environmental interest, the ponds serve important
design functions as a naturally-occurring reservoir for storm water that flows down from
higher elevations.
EXPERIENCE YOUR AMERICA™
Printed on recycled paper.
Cock ield/Hartman 2019