Ground Zero

No one will ever forget the atrocites that happened on September 11th 2001, it changed America forever. The construction of the One World Trade Centre is progressing well and will hopefully be completed in 2013.

Ground Zero is currently a large construction site, filled with the movement of cranes and workmen labouring to create its new development: a 1776ft skyscraper, named the One World Trade Centre and will be America's tallest building; a transportation hub; and the National September 11 Memorial Museum. Amidst the building works lie the two footprints of the former World Trade Centres.

At the centre of each are black-tiled sunken pools, over which water cascades endlessly, representing the void where the towers and people once stood. Here too are the names of the many victims. This, the National September 11 Memorial, is entitled Reflecting Absence, selected in 2004 out of over 5000 international entries. Architects Michael Arad and Peter Walker designed the area covering 8 of the original 16 acres. Their aim has been to create a space of meditation and reflection that is integrated into the fabric of the city,
not isolated from it.

The construction zone is screened off by fences to protect visitors from debris. It is still possible to enter the space, but entry is limited and free tickets must be reserved on a timed basis. The easiest way to make a reservation is online at http://www.911memorial.org/visitor-passes, but it is also possible to get a limited number of passes for same-day entry at the 9/11 Memorial Preview Site on Vesey Street.

If entry is unavailable, or undesired, the best alternative view is from the World Financial Centre's Winter Garden. Previously damaged during the attacks, the building is now fully operational and has a peaceful, glass-fronted atrium within which tall indoor palm trees rise. From the top of the atrium staircase it is possible to view the construction site and glimpse the what has been called 'the voids'.

There is also the option to visit the Tribute WTC Visitor Centre on Liberty Street which provides walking tours, various programmes and exhibits, some of which are paid entry. The Tribute centre provides moving accounts of the events of 9/11 and its aftermath, including video interviews with survivors and, more poignant still, victims' personal belongings, donated by family members: the battered hat of a fireman, the wallet and wedding ring of a husband.

The National September 11 Memorial Museum is due to open in September 2012. In the meantime there's the 9/11 Memorial Preview Site which describes what the museum will become. Both the Preview Site and The Tribute Centre sell mementoes such as T-shirts, toys and bags, all proceeds going into the upkeep of the area.

Designs show that the area, once the scene of utter devastation and now a-bustle with construction work, will become a green, peaceful park, sheltered by trees and filled with the sound of water.