Born:
Education and Public Service:
- 1989 - 1991, Israeli Military service
- 1994, Dartmouth, BA in Government
- 1999, Georgia Institute of Technology, Masters in Archecture
- LEED AP
Professional Experience:
- 1999 - 2002, Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates (KPF)
- 2002 - 2004, New York City Housing Athority
- 2004 - Handel Architects LLP, Partner
Principal Works:
- 2004, winning design for a memorial at the World Trade Center site, New York City, selected from more than 5,000 entrants from 63 nations.
- 2004, Espirito Santo Plaza, Miami, Florida (KPF)
- 2010, International Commerce Centre, Union Station Tower, Hong Kong (KPF)
- 2011, Reflecting Absence, World Trade Center Site Memorial, with the office of Peter Walker and Partners, PWP Landscape Architecture
- 2012, Fifth Street Farm Green Roof, New York City Earth School
In the Words of Michael Arad:
"I'm proud to be an American. I was not born in this country, nor was I born to American parents. Becoming an American was something I chose to do, and I'm so grateful for that privilege because I love the values of this country and I'm grateful for the opportunities this country has given me first as a student and then as an architect."
"America epitomizes for me liberty and equality, tolerance and a belief in shared sacrifices. It is a noble social experiment that depends on every generation's engagement and belief in it. The design of the Memorial of the World Trade Center is a physical manifestation of these values and beliefs. It is a design formed by my experiences in New York in the aftermath of the attacks, where I witnessed the remarkable response of the City as a community, united in its most trying hour; united in compassion and courage, determined and stoic."
"The public spaces of the City—places like Union Square and Washington Square—were the sites where this incredible civic response took shape, and, in fact, it could not have taken shape without them. These public spaces informed and gave shape to the response of its citizens and their design is open democratic forms reflect our shared values and beliefs in a civic and democratic society based on freedom, liberty, and yet even the individual pursuit of happiness what else is a pursuit of solace in the face of grief."
"Public spaces form our shared responses and our understanding of ourselves and our place within society, not as spectators, but as participants, as engaged citizens, as a community of people united by a shared destiny. What better way to respond to that attack and to honor the memory of those who perished than to construct another vessel for that community, another public space, a new forum, a place that affirms our values and imparts them to us and to future generations."
"It has been a remarkable privilege and responsibility to be part of this effort. I am humbled and honored to be part of it, and I am grateful for the recognition this award bestows on the efforts of my colleagues and myself. Thank you very much."
—Architects of Healing Ceremony, American Institute of Architects, May 19, 2012, Washington, D.C.
More About Michael Arad:
- The Breaking of Michael Arad by Joe Hagan, New York Magazine, May 14, 2006
- Architect and 9/11 Memorial Both Evolved Over the Years by Ted Loos, The New York Times, September 1, 2011
