Governor George E. Pataki and Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg joined Architects Michael Arad, Peter Walker, and Max Bond today to unveil the schematic design for a memorial at the World Trade Center site. Reflecting Absence will honor all those lost in the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 and February 26, 1993. Elements of the design include a large ceremonial one-and-a-half acre clearing on the plaza level and a gallery on the second memorial level where the names of those lost on September 11, 2001 and February 26, 1993 can be viewed while water cascades behind them. Between the two pools, Memorial Hall offers a space for visitors to sit and reflect, and serves as a gathering place that orients visitors through the use of a directory to help loved ones find the names of those lost those fateful days. It also offers the opportunity for future programming for remembering all who we lost. On the lowest level, history is preserved. The very foundations of the World Trade Center, the original box beam column remnants can be accessed along with the exposed slurry wall. A contemplation room provides a space for the remains of those lost and never identified and an adjacent area offers a sacred space for victims' families.  More »