WORLD
MEMORIAL®

Dual Memory
Brian Strawn and Karla Sierralta, Chicago IL

The memory of an individual and the combined memory of the community as a whole are embodied by the footprints of the former World Trade Center Towers and the new future for the area. On a personal level, and as members of our larger communities, we were all affected by the terrorist attacks on February 26, 1993 and September 11, 2001. The footprints serve as healing points for our great losses.

Elements of water reflect light and memory.
2,982 light portals shine over the "Individual Memory Footprint", where the North Tower of the WTC once stood. Each light glows with individual intensity, honoring all of the victims who died. Elements of water embrace and reflect memories related to those we lost, those who survived and the selfless actions of those who aided in rescue, recovery and healing. The journey to the emotional center of the footprint is a personal experience. Evolving images are reflected as water flows down the walls that support the plane of water above. On glass and stone, the names are revealed. Here, as stories are shared, they become part of our collective. A final resting place for the unidentified remains embraces a private area for family members and loved ones. This space, at bedrock, becomes the most sacred.

Elements of earth create spaces that frame the sky.
92 Sugar Maples trees stand on the "Shared Memory Footprint". The space, where the South Tower of the WTC once stood, is devoted to the shared loss of a community, a city, a country, and the world. These native trees of New York grow as a symbol of new life in the soil of each of the 92 nations brought together by the great tragedies. A shared path guides visitors through bands of nature that form around the emotional center of the footprint. Stone walls that carry messages of hope from each of the countries and a bed of wild roses surround this quiet space for meditation and contemplation.

The emotional centers of each of the footprints resonate at a different pace. The constantly evolving stories of the individual inform the more slowly developing shared perspective of the collective. These encounter one another, exchange their composition, and form landscaped patterns allowing for intimate and public gatherings. Although the intensity of the lights changes during the course of day, and the trees weather with the passing of the seasons, the footprints will act as a constant reminder.

Board Individual Footprint Individual Memory Liberty Model From West Ave Names Shared Memory South Tower West Aerial

Brian Strawn
Brian Strawn was born and raised on a small farm in Alexander, Illinois. His interest in nature led him to pursue an undergraduate degree in zoology. After completion of his undergraduate degree in 1997 at Southern Illinois University, he worked for a year at the Henson Robinson Zoo, and participated in a work abroad program in London. His travels in Europe inspired him to go on to graduate school in architecture; he received a Master of Arts in Architecture from the University of Illinois at Chicago in 2003. While there, Mr. Strawn participated in housing, mixed-use, long span, and digital media studios. He took part in a study abroad studio in Rome and a summer course on high rise technology at T.U. Delft in Holland. While at university, he was nominated for the Chicago AIA, Ben Johnck Award in 2002, and was awarded the Susan Nealy/FGM Fund for Architectural Studies Portfolio Award in 2003. He now works for an architecture firm in Chicago.

Karla Sierralta
Karla Sierralta was born and raised in Maracaibo, Venezuela. She received her bachelor of architecture from the University of Zulia (LUZ) in 1999. After graduation, she continued working at the university's research center for one year, participating in design team work for low income-bioclimatic dwelling prototypes. In 2000, she was a recipient for a scholarship to participate in an Academic Training Program for Future Professors at LUZ. A year later, Ms. Sierralta was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to pursue her Masters in Architecture at the University of Illinois in Chicago; she was awarded her degree this year. During her time at the University of Illinois she participated in a housing studio, a long span and a digital media studio, as well as a study abroad program in Rome, Italy. She now works for a small architecture firm in Chicago, Illinois, as an academic training extension of her Fulbright scholarship.

Acknowledgements:
Model Fabrication: Model Options, Chicago, IL
Illustrations/animation: Vertex Graphics, Chicago, IL
Engineering consultant: Louis Shell
Lighting consultant: Schuler & Shook, Inc.
Model Photography: Jock Pottle/Esto