 |
VERSA-LOK® Retaining Wall Systems honored to be a part of World
Trade Center Memorial
Oakdale,
MN, January 8, 2003 — Following September 11, 2001, our country
searched for ways to heal itselfwhile trying to find answers to
and meaning in the attack on the World Trade Center.
Alan
Koenig, Landscape Designer for the Bergen County Parks Department,
believed that something was needed to help provide solace and support
to those affected by the terrorist attack. In the days following
the attacks, Koenig noticed citizens wearing lapel ribbons of red,
white, and blue to show their solidarity in the United States’
fight against terrorism. A concept that began with a ribbon, ended
with Koenig’s design for the World Trade Center Memorial Plaza,
which lies in Bergen County’s Overpeck Park in Leonia, New
Jersey.
The design features two granite towers, inscribed with the names
of Bergen County residents who perished, encompassed by a curved
VERSA-LOK Weathered‰ Mosaic‚ retaining wall. The Weathered
Mosaic system offers a random-pattern appearance that gives the
look and feel of natural stone walls. Here, the Mosaic wall forms
a rising half-circle around the granite slabs, starting at approximately
six inches and ascending to three feet at the head of the memorial.
On the ground, a red-paver ribbon, designed to look like the lapel
ribbons being worn around the country, loops the granite obelisks.
The ends of this paver path extend outward to an American flag,
unifying all the walkways of the memorial plaza. Another ascending
Mosaic wall, rising to six feet, curves to envelop the paver ribbon’s
outer edge. To further enhance the setting, other
Mosaic walls form planters and benches that enclose the entire plaza.
Approximately 5000 sq.ft. of Mosaic units went into building the
memorial walls. The Mosaic System easily accommodated the curves
and corners of Alan Koenig’s design. Acting as planters, the
walls hold ornamental flowering trees and other ground cover to
provide seasonal interest to the memorial with its spring blooms,
the vibrant fall colors, and varying plant textures. The raised
seating, created with the Mosaic units, enframes the memorial, providing
a place to rest, remember, and reflect.
The World Trade Center Memorial Plaza was unveiled September 14,
2002, and VERSA-LOK is truly honored to be part of such an important
and unique project.
For more information on the VERSA-LOK Mosaic Retaining Wall System,
contact Karl Bremer at 800-770-4525, or visit www.versa-lok.com.
|
