Why the Memorial Has Two Pools

The two pools mark the footprints of the North and South Towers. Michael Arad’s design, “Reflecting Absence”, has water falling 30 feet down the walls of each pool and then another 20 feet into a central void that cannot be seen into. The hole in the middle is the design, not damage; the architect’s phrase is “absence made visible”.

DesignReflecting Absence, Michael Arad

Fall30 feet, then 20 feet more

SizeEach nearly an acre

Reflecting Absence

The design was chosen in January 2004 from 5,201 entries, with Peter Walker as landscape architect. Each pool is nearly an acre, sits exactly where a tower stood, and carries the names on its bronze parapet. The names page explains how they are arranged.

Thirty feet, then twenty more

Water falls 30 feet from the parapet into the pool, then drops a further 20 feet into the central void, whose bottom cannot be seen from the edge. The memorial calls the two the largest man-made waterfalls in North America. They run in every season and are lit after dusk until the plaza closes at 8 pm; see the memorial-at-night page.

Frequently asked questions

What do the 9/11 Memorial pools represent?

The footprints of the two towers, with the water falling into a void the design calls absence made visible.

Why is there a hole in the middle of each pool?

It is the design. The water drops 30 feet into the pool and then 20 feet into a central void that cannot be seen into.

Who designed the 9/11 Memorial?

Architect Michael Arad with landscape architect Peter Walker, chosen in January 2004. See the history page.