Awards

National September 11 Memorial Honored with IALD Award of Excellence

In downtown Manhattan, the National 9/11 Memorial opened on the 10th anniversary of the 2001 tragedy.

“A very powerful installation where light forms a strong contrast to the despair of the dark void,” commented one IALD Awards judge on the lighting design.

After extensive studies and select site visits around Manhattan, the designers were able to dissuade city officials that the initial 5-footcandle requirement for the plaza was excessive. In the finished project, both the horizontal and vertical illuminance is 0.5 footcandles.

For a project fraught with challenges and restrictions, the lighting vocabulary is relatively simple, as only three fixture types light the project.

Custom pole fixtures, aligned with the landscape grid, feature an up-down lighting component with four T8 lamps behind a stack of prismatic refractors. Humane and gentle illumination of the visitors was the principal challenge. Equally important was to provide adequate vertical illumination for the security cameras. The two fountains, set in the original footprint of the towers, are discrete upon entry. Granite pavers and the rhythmic hymn of cascading water lead visitors to the threshold of the south pool.

Collaborating closely with the manufacturer, over 1,500 feet of submersible LED luminaires, driven at 24 volts with an internal water cooling technology, are mounted beneath the waterfall at the base of each pool. The falling water dances in the light, creating a powerful reflection that oscillates between celebration and sorrow.

The International Association of Lighting Designers (IALD), established in 1969, is an international organization supporting a network of 800 lighting design professionals who satisfy its rigorous qualification process. Its members are distinguished by a unique blend of aesthetic and technical expertise, and operate at the highest level of integrity to create a better world through leadership and excellence in lighting design; to cultivate the universal acknowledgement and appreciation of the Power of Light in human life.

THE NATIONAL SEPTEMBER 11 MEMORIAL
NEW YORK, NY USA

LIGHTING DESIGN
PAUL MARANTZ, FIALD
ZACK ZANOLLI
CARLA ROSS-ALLEN
BARRY CITRIN, IALD
FISHER MARANTZ STONE

ADDITIONAL CREDITS
ARCHITECTURE
MICHAEL ARAD

LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT
PETER WALKER AND PARTNERS

CLIENT
THE NATIONAL SEPTEMBER 11 MEMORIAL & MUSEUM

CONSTRUCTION MANAGER
THE PORT AUTHORITY OF NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY

PHOTOGRAPHY
© CARIDAD SOLA PHOTOGRAPHY
© THE PORT AUTHORITY OF NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY
© FISHER MARANTZ STONE

author avatar
Craig DiLouie

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