The Designer: Michael Arad

In 2017 Michael Arad was selected to design a memorial to the victims of the 2015 Charleston church massacre at the Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina. Michael Arad’s work on the National September 11 Memorial at the World Trade Center site in New York City was a determining factor in his selection for the Emanuel Nine Memorial design project.

Mr. Arad is a partner at Handel Architects where he worked on realizing the National September 11 Memorial design which opened on September 11, 2011, 10 years after the 9/11 attacks.

A native of Israel, Mr. Arad was raised there, the U.K., the United States and Mexico. He came to the United States and earned a B.A. from Dartmouth College in 1994 and a Master of Architecture from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 1999.

In 2012, he was awarded the AIA Presidential Citation for his work on the National September 11 Memorial. In addition, he was also honored in 2012 by the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council with the Liberty Award for Artistic Leadership. His work on the Memorial was also recognized with Honor Awards from the AIA and ASLA.