lion Klook Punedesign, Perlin, Germany The Oklahoma City The design was selected in an open international design competition conducted by the Oklahoma City Memorial Foundation, and was created by the husband and wife design team of Hans-Ekkehard Butzer and Torrey Butzer with Sven Berg. Torrey Butzer is a native of Nowata, Oklahoma. Hans was born in Madison, Wisconsin, and Sven is from Berlin, Germany, where the three collaborated on the design. The first signs of the complex are the gates of time. The opening lines of the Memorial Mission Statement are inscribed over the exterior openings in the gates: "We come here to remember those who were killed, those who survived and those changed forever. May all who leave here know the impact of violence. May this memorial offer comfort, strength, peace, hope and serenity." On the interior of the eastern gate is 9:01, and on the interior of the western gate is 9:03 to frame the moment in time ("9:02") on April 19, 1995, when lives changed forever. The footprint of the former Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building is covered with soft green grass, on which evergreens stand watch over 168 empty glass base chairs, which powerfully convey the deep sense of loss of those who died. The chairs are in nine rows representing the nine floors of the Building, and when illuminated at night, the chairs represent beacons of hope. Also on the footprint of the former Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building is a place of remembrance of the survivors of the attack. The Survivor Tree, witness to the violence of the moment, stands to the north commemorating strength and endurance. Cascading terraces under its canopy offer a peaceful setting for thought and contemplation. The empty chairs, the Survivor Tree and its terraces meet at the reflecting pool representative of healing, which occupies the area now known as Fifth Street. As visitors gaze in the pool at their own reflections, the pool reveals the faces of those changed forever. An area for visiting children provides an opportunity for them to interact and express their feelings. The thousands of people involved in the rescue and recovery effort are honored with a grove of trees. The design will provide a timeless place of remembrance in a manner which will fulfill the Memorial Mission Statement. |