Snohetta’s September 11 Museum will be perhaps one of the most prominently sited buildings of our time, placed decidedly amongst the two pools of the World Trade Center Memorial.
The Memorial, Reflecting Absence, consists of the footprints of the Twin Towers subtracted into the earth as pools of water. It embodies the essence of the towers both emotionally and architecturally, its strict rectilinear spatial qualities echoing that which once was.
Formally, the museum couldn’t be any different. It’s asymmetrical massing and structure provide the new building with a unique personality; with such a culturally and emotionally charged project, the designer seeks out a virtually un-charged form (in terms of meaning) with which the new museum can latch onto and create an identity for itself, as well as the site and the city as a whole.
One defining characteristic is the accommodation of two columns from the original WTC buildings. The pitchfork-like steel members are erected inside the museum and enclosed in a glass corner, to be displayed.
Architect: Snøhetta