Imagined as a luminous scar inscribed in an industrially defiled landscape, the Flight 93 National Memorial is located within a 2,200 acre mining site scarred by drainage swales and contaminated ponds.

The site’s drainage swales and contaminated ponds are filled with boulders that function as biofilters for reclamation and pathways for natural propagation of animals and plants throughout the site. Through the process of natural succession the landscape eventually heals itself over a period of 100 years; while its swales and ponds remain as a reminder of its scarred history. Yet, every September 11, native white wildflowers shroud and conceal the meadow’s scars and memorial in ethereal whiteness, temporarily returning its once scarred state to that of virgin land, completing the annual cycle of rebirth and healing.

Demarcating the thresholds of Sacred Ground, the memorial’s roofscape unfolds in a clockwise spiral, its trajectory retraces the final journey, events and timeline of Flight 93: its departure from Newark, its hijacking and turning point above Cleveland, and its descent and final resting place in the open fields of Somerset, Pennsylvania. A timeline of events etched under-skin recalls the unfolding tragedy. Its luminous temperament consists of an outer cast glass shell and inner shimmering textured quartzite skin fastened to a dynamic space frame. It serves as a metaphor for inspiration and hope, and acts as a guide throughout the memorial experience.

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The complete story of Flight 93 remains a mystery so the roofscape and timeline does not aim to give an explanation or answer. It relies on the visitors’ experience of its form, light and landscape to generate an ever-changing narrative throughout time. The design explores memorials as a receptacle for collective and individual memory, as a place of remembrance, healing, inspiration and hope. Specific to Flight 93, it explores the capacity of form to express the acts of courage and sacrifice of passengers and crew to heal and inspire current and future generations.