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Flight 93 National memorial

The Flight 93 National Memorial is a 2,200-acre national park to commemorate the heroic actions of the 40 passengers and crew who prevented a terrorist attack on our nation’s capital. In September 2005, the Flight 93 Advisory Commission selected the design proposal from the team of Paul Murdoch Architects and Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects from among 1,100 entries. The design transforms the site – a former reclaimed strip mine – to a place of environmental and symbolic healing. The design creates a memorial landscape, moving visitors through a composition of open spaces defined by site walls, planting, walkways and courts, gateways and building elements. The centerpiece of the master plan is the Sacred Ground, at the edge of the Field of Honor and embraced by an allee of red maples backed by 40 Memorial Groves.

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While on a walkabout alone at the Flight 93 National Memorial, Paul Murdoch took these photographs when the park was closed during a nor’easter on the first day of Spring.
A common field one day... A field of honor forever
The design is a simple and beautiful expression that sets the stage for understanding the actions of the 40 passengers and crew members and the impact their actions had on history.
— Stage II Competition Jury

PROJECT INFORMATION

Location: Shanksville, Pennsylvania
Owner: National Park Service
Commissioned: 2005
Phase 1 Completed: 2011
Phase 2 Completed: 2015
Phase 3 Completion: 2018

PRESS

Flight 93 families turn pain into purpose on 21st anniversary of 9/11
Where the Meaning of Flight 93 Can Never End
Op-Ed: Just imagine if that 4th airliner had hit the Capitol
9/11: As the decades pass, the act of remembering evolves
Commemorate 9/11's 20th Anniversary at Pennsylvania's Flight 93 National Memorial
Remembering 9/11: The Legacy of Flight 93
The Meanings of Minimalist Memorials
40 Under 40: The Next Generation of Historic Places
The holy ground of Flight 93, one of 9/11’s enduring mysteries
Somerset Trust Story on Flight 93 National Memorial
“Tower of Voices” memorial will honor those lost on 9/11’s Flight 93
Glass talks to architect Paul Murdoch about his Flight 93 Memorial
To honor Flight 93, designers merge land and history
11 Superb Architectural Photographs, as Selected by AIA|LA
AIA|LA Announces Winners of Inaugural AIA|LA Architectural Photography Awards
Landscape/Hardscape Best Project - Flight 93 Memorial Plaza and Visitor Center
The Flight 93 National Memorial Lets the Landscape Speak
Powerful September 11 Memorials Around the World
Paul Murdoch Architects Completes Flight 93 National Memorial
Constructing the Flight 93 National Memorial, a Time-lapse
Flight 93 Memorial opens in Pennsylvania to mark 14th anniversary of 9/11
Paul Murdoch Architects create United Flight 93 Memorial Visitor Center
The Other 9/11 Memorial: Flight 93 National Memorial in Popular Mechanics
9/11 heroism honored at Flight 93 memorial
9/11 Memorial for Flight 93 reaches fundraising goal, but still needs money
The countryside of 9/11
Volunteers plant ‘living memory’ trees at Flight 93 National Memorial in Somerset County
Governor Corbett helps plant trees at Flight 93 site
The 2012 edition of Cartouche from NewSchool of Architecture and Design focuses on the Flight 93 National Memorial in Pennsylvania
Flight 93 National Memorial / Paul Murdoch Architects
Designing the Flight 93 Memorial
Presidents Bush, Clinton and Speaker Boehner come together in support of Flight 93 memorial
Interactive Panoramas: Flight 93 National Memorial Opening
Dedication of the Flight 93 National Memorial
Victims from United Flight 93 remembered in Shanksville, Pa.
Bush says U.S. will never forget Flight 93
911 Then and Now
Flight 93 National Memorial: A place to remember and reflect
Flight 93 memorial to honor those who fought back
9/11 memorial at Shanksville is minimalistic but evocative and compelling
Flight 93 National Memorial in rural Pennsylvania opens to the public Sept. 11 weekend
The Flight 93 National Memorial wins a 2010 Designing the Parks Merit Award
Flight 93 memorial design selected
Flight 93 National Memorial
Flight 93 passengers, crew remembered as individuals in 9/11 ceremony
Honoring Architects Who Helped Heal the Nation
Volunteers plant trees for Flight 93 memorial
Dedication of Flight 93 National Memorial: Raw, Emotional
Dedication of the Flight 93 National Memorial
Flight 93 memorial architect explains his vision
Michelle Obama, Laura Bush Honor Flight 93 Heroes at Crash Site
Paul discusses the Flight 93 National Memorial on KCRW’s Politics of Culture
Flight 93 Memorial Slideshow

TEAM MEMBERS

Paul Murdoch
Milena Murdoch
Olek Novak-Zemplinski
Eric Cunningham
Dean Perton
Kin Lee
Victor Garcia
Charles Lee
Will Longyear
Peter Rindelaub
Chris Feldman
Juan Garcia
Luv Khot
Grit Liepert

RECOGNITION

2021 Grands Prix Du Design Landscape Architecture / Public Space Landscape Architecture Award - Gold Winner
2021 Grands Prix Du Design Special Awards / Art Integration in landscape and/or urban development - Gold Winner
2021American Architecture Awards 2021 – Monuments Category
2021 AIA Education Facility Merit Award
2017 WAN Concrete in Architecture Award
2017 Los Angeles Business Council Architecture Award of Excellence, Beyond LA
2015 LEED© Gold, U.S. Green Building Council
2015 Merit Award, American Institute of Architects California Chapter
2012 Architects of Healing Honor Award, American Institute of Architects
2010 Designing for Parks Merit Award for Master Planning, National Park Service
2005 First Place from 1,100 entrants, International Competition Flight 93 Federal Advisory Commission