Family Access Areas
Remains Storage and Solemn Contemplation
The base memorial floor of each Memory Tower would be dedicated to remains and solemn remembrance. The unidentified remains from the medical examiner would be located here, split between the two footprints. A large crypt containing ash remnants from the wtc site will also be placed at this level in each building. These are the "tombs of the unknown" as this ash contains the microscopic remnants of many victims. Some family groups have requested the return of this ash, currently stored at the Fresh Kills Landfill in Staten Island, to the site. Sections of this level would be designated family using the medical examiner ID system, the rest would be public areas of contemplation and reflection. Exterior entrance doors lead to the memorial floor level.
Tower Extension
The 11 floors in each extended tower can be allocated for a variety of applications. The plan reserves a section of the top floor and the entire floor below it in each tower as a family viewing room. The skyward tone of this room provides a different experience from the ground-based first floor area.
Family Bedrock Access Room
This part of the design proposal does not conform to the published memorial guidelines, although it has been requested by many family groups. It is a desirable but not essential part of this proposal. At the bedrock level within each footprint a small area can be set aside and walled off as a family room. Infrastructure and transit element determine the exact placement for each footprint. Portions of the floor would be left exposed as bare bedrock. On the outside (as from inside the PATH station) these rooms appear as plain mechanical walled rooms. The South Tower room could be as small as 10' by 20', the North Tower room should be somewhat larger due to the larger number of victims. Relatives access it from the family area in the memorial floor (elevator/stairs), with an emergency exit to the ground level elements (PATH station).