In Steel & Stone:
90210 9/11 Memorial

Photography by George Gruel,
Odd Stick Studio, New York

Contributing to the lighting for the pathway at the entrances to the Beverly Hills 9/11 Memorial are six basalt stone water features, each with three submersible 2-watt 3500K LEDs in the column basins to up light the stone, and catch the play of the flowing water.

Beverly Hills fire chief Tim Scranton personally selected the charred, bent 30-foot structural I-beam from the New York Port Authority as the main focus of the 9/11 Memorial on North Rexford Drive in Beverly Hills.

In January 2009, Jim Ply, president, Oak Crest Landscape https://oakcrestlandscape.com in Pasadena, Calif., was selected to conceive and design all aspects of the Beverly Hills 9/11 Memorial. It was only after the memorial was complete that he undertook the challenge of designing the memorial lighting. Jim has over 25 years of experience in landscape design and installation, from quaint cottages in Laguna Beach to estates in Beverly Hills.

Custom 6-ft. long, 15-watt, 3500K LED linear strip luminaires behind acrylic opal lenses are tucked into the outside edge of the pentagonal planter that surrounds the steel beam. The light strips are angled down 45-degrees (inset) to illuminated the stainless steel plates with the 2,977 engraved names of the Twin Towers' victims. The strip lighting also throws some peripheral light onto the walking path around the planter.

Design Intent
The design intent was to produce an inviting public memorial that would be as visually powerful at night as during the day. The steel I-beam artifact from Ground Zero is the main feature. It stands within an elevated pentagonal planter that is meticulously engraved with all 2,977 names of the deceased on the five angled-top surfaces. To the left of the planter stands two large stone Twin Towers, both carefully scaled to the exact proportions of the real Towers. Just beyond the towers a field of nonmowable turf was planted to represent the 40 victims of the crash of hijacked United Airlines Flight 93 in a field near Shanksville, Penn.

Design Limitations
The focal point of the monument was to be the steel artifact beam, but when the highly reflective stone panels of the Twin Towers were installed, it was clear eye went more to the towers than the steel beam. The dark rusted finish of the steel, combined with the several large brows created by the beam's back bending, made it difficult to produce the level of light to make the steel the focal point. It took several nighttime mock-ups with varying color temperature lamps and wattages before selecting the final lamp choice and luminaire count.

The other major concern to the design was creating a visual lighting boundary between the memorial and the adjacent street and building lights. It also became necessary to define the custom granite pathways through nontraditional path lighting to avoid adding additional vertical elements to the space.

Nineteen 5-watt 3500K LED up lights wash the landscaping around the memorial. Opposite the Towers and close to the curbside flies the American flag, uplit with three 90-watt halogen, 8-degree PAR38 lamps. Offset from the main focal point of the monument, the flag proved to be the third vertical element to give visual balance to the memorial.

Design Techniques
Beginning from the center of the monument illuminating the steel artifact, the final design includes seven 90-watt halogen PAR38 up lights positioned and aimed to enhance the details of the steel beam. A 2700K color temperature was selected to give the desired warmth to the beam. On the outer edge of the planter are custom 6ft 15W, 3500K LED linear strip luminaires behind an acrylic opal lens. The strips are angled at 45-degrees to allow people to read the 2,977 names engraved onto the dark gray stone face. The strips also shed light on the walking path around the planter.

Ten curved granite benches surround the memorial planter, inviting visitors to sit and reflect on 9/11. A raceway was engraved into the underside of each bench to position additional 3500K LED linear strips. The custom strips are 11-ft. long and 27.5-watts. Metal clips hold the strip fixtures in place and lock the aiming angle to maximize the lighting on the granite walking path.

Around the pentagonal planter stand 10 curved granite benches to let visitors reflect upon the memorial. Raceways engraved into the underside of each bench allows custom 11-ft. 27.5-watt, 3500K LED linear strip fixtures to be attached and angled at 45-degrees. Metal clips hold the strip fixtures in place, and lock the aiming angle to maximize the light on the granite-walking path surrounding the planter. Erected outside of the circular center in the nonmowable turf are the two Twin Tower flame-waved basalt stone replicas. One 90-watt halogen PAR38 lamp was placed at the base of each tower to graze the rough textured stone face, resulting in dramatic patterns of negative and positive space. The pathway along the entrances into the monument has six short basalt stone water features. Three submersible grade 2-watt 3500K LED uplights at the base of each column catch the play of the water.

One entrance hosts the large 10-ft. linear stone donor wall, lit with custom 6-inch 1.25-watt 3500K LED wall grazers. The pathway concludes on either end of the memorial flanked with two additional granite benches continuing the same effect as the 10 benches along the main diameter of the steel artifact.

Light Control
All the fixtures on site, aside from those under the granite benches, were given custom shrouds to better shield and direct the light. A simple control system was designed to turn each element on and off, provide dimming capabilities, and an "ease of use" by city personnel working on the site.

One entrance to the memorial hosts the 10 ft. linear stone donor wall with the names of those contributing to the project engraved into the vertical surface. Custom 6-inch 1.25-watt 3500K LED wall grazers light the stone surfaces.

Documentation
Design documentation incorporated fixture and lamp specifications, and control system groupings, along with individual coordination to the control panel. Record documentation displayed each transformer, mechanical timer and dimmer clearly labeled.

Each dimmer switch position was marked on the panel at the desired levels for future uniformity. Relamping charts were laminated and permanently inside the control room. A lighting maintenance agreement was also provided to the city. All lighting maintenance is completed every six months by the designer.

Special thanks go to: Beverly Hills fire chief Tim Scranton; Eric Sassower (owner, Advantage Light Source) for LED fixtures and making the custom shrouds; Marlene Miller (Total Lighting Concepts) for scarab fixtures (I-beam and flag pole); Hans Christensen (Sun Electric) for help with 120-volt electric; Emily Gorecki, lighting designer/adj. lighting prof., U. of New Haven, for tech. lighting descriptions.