Renderings of the Global War on Terrorism Memorial in Washington, D.C. designed by Kengo Kuma & Associates were made public by the Global War on Terrorism Memorial Foundation (GWOTMF), the organization backing the project.
The memorial will be built on the National Mall to commemorate the over 7,000 U.S. service members killed in combat during the Global War on Terrorism, which started in 2001 after 9/11 and lasted through 2021, when President Biden pulled troops out from Afghanistan.
It’s estimated that over 432,000 civilians in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Syria, and Yemen were killed in the war.
Taking into account disease, malnutrition, and the destruction of infrastructure stemming from the war, the total civilian and combatant death toll is approximately 4.7 million people, per researchers from Brown University.
The proposed memorial by Kengo Kuma & Associates makes no mention of the civilians killed in the war, a critique that’s been leveled against the Vietnam Veterans Memorial by author Viet Thanh Nguyen and others.
In 2023, Marlon Blackwell Architects (MBA) was selected to design the memorial, but Kengo Kuma & Associates replaced MBA the next year. The GWOTMF never publicly said why the change took place.
Kengo Kuma & Associates was one of the five finalists, alongside Marlon Blackwell Architects, shortlisted in the international competition to design the memorial. Since 2024, Kuma has worked closely with the GWOTMF Board of Directors and the Design Advisory Council, culminating in this month’s announcement.
In a promotional video former President George W. Bush said the memorial will stand as a “lasting tribute to those who made the ultimate sacrifice after 9/11 to make America safer and stronger.”
The triangular plot where the memorial will be situated is framed by Constitution Avenue, Henry Bacon Drive, and 23rd Street. Visitors will enter the memorial through what the GWOTMF calls “the path of honor,” which starts at the curb.
The path will connect with surrounding memorials on the National Mall, namely the Lincoln Memorial, designed by Henry Bacon; Vietnam Veterans Memorial, by Maya Lin; and Desert Shield and Desert Storm Memorial, by Randy Schumacher of CSO Architects and OLIN Studio.
Stone and steel “relics” from 9/11 will be located at each entrance to the path. These elements are meant to serve as a “reminder” of where the memorial comes from, the GWOTMF said.
Pressed into the path are boot footprints to memorialize soldiers. A shallow pool will hug the pathway.
A mobius strip made of “reclaimed war steel” recovered from overseas military operations will form the overall shape of the memorial, which is meant to evoke a “ribbon that arches over the earth” and serve as an “embrace.” Light will filter through the ribbon covered in natural vegetation.
The orientation of the ribbon is aligned with Section 60 of Arlington National Cemetery, where Global War on Terrorism soldiers are buried.
The GWOTMF is now trying to raise money to build the memorial.
Given its location on the National Mall, the design will be subject to feedback from the National Capital Planning Commission.