Return to Transcripts main page

American Morning

WTC Memorial

Aired January 07, 2004 - 08:36   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: A plan that would turn the footprints of the fallen Twin Towers into reflecting pool has been chosen for a memorial at the World Trade Center site, but not without controversy.
The winning design now from Jason Carroll.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's a combination of cascading water and open space. It's called "Reflecting Absence."

KEVIN RAMPE, PRES., LOWER MANHATTEN DEVELOPMENT CORP.: The jury is very pleased with the results of their deliberations and with the pace of deliberations and with the result.

CARROLL: The winner? Michael Arad, a 34-year-old Israeli-born architect living in Manhattan. Arad's design has two pools submerged 30 feet below street level to stand in the tower footprints.

In this video, he explains his design.

MICHAEL ARAD, WTC MEMORIAL DESIGNER: You go down the stairs, and then turn around the corner, and when you get to the bottom you have this large pool with a void at its middle.

CARROLL: Rescue workers wanted jurors to choose a memorial grouping together the names of their fallen comrades. Arad says his design could do that, but currently does not.

ARAD: I thought that if the names could be just arranged at random, it would echo the way in which people died there.

CARROLL: The jurors' goal? Find a design that is powerful, beautiful and moving. Critics say none of the eight finalists met that goal, and have called on the process to start over. "Reflecting Absence" ranked third in a public poll on the designs.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's very cold, very stark.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I preferred "Reflecting Absence" the best. I think it's the most somber.

CARROLL (on camera): Construction on the memorial should begin by the end of the year. Arad says he approaches the challenges ahead with great humility.

Jason Carroll, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HEMMER: Also, the memorial will include the names of those killed in the World Trade Center attacks, as well as those who died in the attack on the Pentagon and the crash in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Also, six people who died in the 1993 bombing at the World Trade Center site are also scheduled to be listed in that memorial.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.






Aired January 7, 2004 - 08:36   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: A plan that would turn the footprints of the fallen Twin Towers into reflecting pool has been chosen for a memorial at the World Trade Center site, but not without controversy.
The winning design now from Jason Carroll.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's a combination of cascading water and open space. It's called "Reflecting Absence."

KEVIN RAMPE, PRES., LOWER MANHATTEN DEVELOPMENT CORP.: The jury is very pleased with the results of their deliberations and with the pace of deliberations and with the result.

CARROLL: The winner? Michael Arad, a 34-year-old Israeli-born architect living in Manhattan. Arad's design has two pools submerged 30 feet below street level to stand in the tower footprints.

In this video, he explains his design.

MICHAEL ARAD, WTC MEMORIAL DESIGNER: You go down the stairs, and then turn around the corner, and when you get to the bottom you have this large pool with a void at its middle.

CARROLL: Rescue workers wanted jurors to choose a memorial grouping together the names of their fallen comrades. Arad says his design could do that, but currently does not.

ARAD: I thought that if the names could be just arranged at random, it would echo the way in which people died there.

CARROLL: The jurors' goal? Find a design that is powerful, beautiful and moving. Critics say none of the eight finalists met that goal, and have called on the process to start over. "Reflecting Absence" ranked third in a public poll on the designs.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's very cold, very stark.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I preferred "Reflecting Absence" the best. I think it's the most somber.

CARROLL (on camera): Construction on the memorial should begin by the end of the year. Arad says he approaches the challenges ahead with great humility.

Jason Carroll, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HEMMER: Also, the memorial will include the names of those killed in the World Trade Center attacks, as well as those who died in the attack on the Pentagon and the crash in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Also, six people who died in the 1993 bombing at the World Trade Center site are also scheduled to be listed in that memorial.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.