The North Pool parapets include the names of those who were killed at the North Tower, on hijacked Flight 11, and in the 1993 bombing. The names are grouped by the locations and circumstances in which victims found themselves during the attacks. The names of the 2,983 people who were killed in the 20 terrorist attacks are inscribed on bronze parapets edging the memorial pools. The Memorial opened on September 11, 2011, 10 years after the 9/11 attacks.
The pools are set within a plaza where more than 400 swamp white oak trees grow.
Their design features twin waterfall pools surrounded by bronze parapets that list the names of the victims of the 9/11 attacks and the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. In January 2004, the design submitted by architect Michael Arad and landscape architect Peter Walker, Reflecting Absence, was chosen as the winning entry. Entries were judged by a 13-person jury that looked for designs that honored the victims, spoke to the needs of families who had lost loved ones, and provided a space for healing and reflection.
The competition was open to adults 18 years or older, without regard for nationality or professional accreditation, and yielded 5,201 submissions from 63 countries. In April 2003, the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation-established to oversee the revitalization of the downtown area after 9/11-launched an international competition to choose a design for a permanent memorial at the World Trade Center site.