Gordon Incorporated was awarded the honor and privilege to become integrally involved in the design, engineering, constructability assessments, fabrication, and also served in an advisory capacity for the installation of the custom ceilings, walls, light coves, trim, and ornamental treatments throughout this reverent space now known as The 9/11 Memorial Museum, designed by Davis Brody Bond, LLC, architect.

The materials and interior finishes were selected with the intent to create an atmosphere of peace, honor, and compassion for the spirits of those who perished during the terrorist attacks on America on September 11, 2001.

The architectural design objectives were intended to create an environment that would achieve a balance between not only the reality of the loss of life and physical destruction, but also to provide a memorial to the healing process that continues today. This $700 million, 110,000 SF, project is meets all criteria for certification as a LEED Gold project. The extraordinary museum exudes an atmosphere of somberness with every step visitors take throughout the space, and represents a living memorial and a monument of respect for the overwhelming losses and tragedy on that day.

The 9/11 Memorial Museum was originally scheduled to be completed and opened to the public on September 11, 2011, commemorating the 10th anniversary of the attacks; however, the project endured not only significant funding hurdles but also a natural disaster in the form of Hurricane Sandy, both of which led to lengthy and extended construction delays.

Extraordinary measures were required of all stakeholders in this project in an effort to salvage the critical construction schedule and minimize the impact of these unfortunate circumstances. Unique pedestrian ramps provide the pathway for visitors as they tour the museum.

These prominent architectural features are clad with custom metal panels furnished by Gordon Inc. As visitors descend to the main exhibition space, they are guided alongside the “Survivors’ Stairs”, which were used as the final escape route from the buildings as they collapsed. Parapet panels by Gordon accentuate the staircase and provide acoustical serenity. The multiple shapes, planes, angles and scale of the panels supported by an intricately engineered mounting system combines to emphasize the enormity of the tragic event. The interfacing of the uniquely shaped panels results in a magnificent stealth appearance.

Due to the complex architectural design of the 9/11 Memorial Museum, the 3-D models, submittal / approval drawings, and fabrication drawings resulted in 8,930 CAD hours to complete the pre-construction requirements for this project; an equivalent of 4.3 man-years.

The scope of this accomplishment necessitated the creation of 11,383 submittal and fabrication drawings which yielded 1,750 custom engineered panels, 98 percent of which were one-of-a-kind.

Due to the variety of highly unique and custom panel system configurations, unique installation challenges were presented. Job site / field surveys were required in order to meet the X, Y, Z coordinate points in order to achieve the multi-planar layout. The ceiling heights reaching as high as 70-feet presented additional challenges for the installing contractor, PABCO Construction Corporation.

Precise manufacturing, combined with the skill of the installing contractor, provided a seamless appearance with perfect panel abutment and alignment. Adjacent to the parapet and ceiling panel systems, the main exhibit areas highlighted by custom wall and ceiling panels create an illusion of molten metal following an outline of an incinerated structure. A custom black metallic powder coat finish, applied to lower wall panels, create an illusion of charred metal.

The entire scope of the materials requirements manufactured and installed in the 9/11 Memorial Museum required a total of 15,094 manufacturing man-hours. The project was submitted in January 2015 for the Ceilings & Interior Systems Construction Association (CISCA) Construction Excellence Award in the Interior Finishes Category, East Region.

Gordon Incorporated is both delighted and humbled to be the recipient of not only a Gold Award for Excellence in construction for this category and geographical region, but also Gordon Inc. was honored to be named as the recipient of the 2014 Founder’s Award, an award bestowed upon a CISCA manufacturing member as the 2014 Project of the Year.

These prestigious awards were received on April 29, 2015 at the annual CISCA Convention awards event held this year in Long Beach, Calif.