Flight 93 Memorial

Somerset County, Pennsylvania
Competition 2005

Forty avenues of trees converge on the impact site. Each one a different species, to be selected in consultation with the families to represent some important part of the life story of each victim. Called Life Paths, each avenue is oriented toward their home town, and each forms a separate entrance to the memorial. Early, while our memory is vivid and grief is strong, the trees make a solemn procession across the land. With the passage of time the land heals, the forest returns, and the trees form avenues of light. At the heart of the sacred ground are forty glass pillars, beacons of light telling a story of courage and sacrifice.