WTC Tower One - by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (formerly "Freedom Tower")

[NYguy]

Here (http://www.som.com/press_release/) is a site with images and animations of the Freedom Tower.

There's a large rendering of the Freedom Tower with the observatory and restaurant more visible...

[Kris]

I can't believe no one had checked SOM's site. Do I have to do everything around here? :P Thanks, Big Mac.

[JMGarcia]

The URL in the link above to SOM is not available on their web site which is a flash site. Unless you somehow know it you could not find it. At least, I couldn't and believe me I've checked.

[BigMac]

The URL in the link above to SOM is not available on their web site which is a flash site. Unless you somehow know it you could not find it. At least, I couldn't and believe me I've checked.

I found it out of luck. I did a Google search recently for "Freedom Tower images" and there it was. :)

I like the tower's new design, but a part of me wishes it had a more original style instead of invoking the Statue of Liberty...though I can appreciate the intention and inspiration thereof. But as someone said, we only need one Statue of Liberty. That's one reason why the twin towers worked so well as a backdrop to it: They complimented, not mimicked, the Statue's place in the skyline.

[NYatKNIGHT]

I don't find anything wrong with the idea of the replacement tower somehow complimenting that iconic statue, as long as it works. In this case I don't believe that it ensures a good design, and adhereing to that notion is limiting the potential for this tower.

However, the argument that Libeskind is "mimicking" or "copying" the Statue of Liberty as though he wants to build another one, that "one is enough" or "we don't need another one", seriously weakens the credibility of the other arguments put forth from those who dislike the proposed design, IMO.

No offense BigMac or anyone, I appreciate your input, but that's been a pet peeve of mine from the beginning.

[BigMac]

I should reiterate that I do like the design, and this kind of building is certainly an admirably original concept per se. I'm sure it will work. Also, I'm hoping that the nearby WTC 7 will not seem too out of place with the rest of the complex. As for the originally proposed sky garden, maybe that could still be implemented somehow...perhaps on the observation level, or even among the windmills?

[JMGarcia]

I don't find anything wrong with the idea of the replacement tower somehow complimenting that iconic statue, as long as it works. In this case I don't believe that it ensures a good design, and adhereing to that notion is limiting the potential for this tower.

However, the argument that Libeskind is "mimicking" or "copying" the Statue of Liberty as though he wants to build another one, that "one is enough" or "we don't need another one", seriously weakens the credibility of the other arguments put forth from those who dislike the proposed design, IMO.

No offense BigMac or anyone, I appreciate your input, but that's been a pet peeve of mine from the beginning.

It has been my observation that a lot of complaints about the various plans and buildings so far are because of the desire to see something different altogether rather than on the merits of a particular feature and how well/poorly it has been designed.

For example, the original nine plans in the "design study" were denegrated by many not on their own merit, but because they did not fit a preconcieved notion that twin towers should be the only rebuilding solution. Its almost like people are looking for something to denegrate in the hopes that the decisions made so far will be changed.

It is perhaps a hope sprung from the supposed ditching of the 6 original site plans. I find this laughable because they have not really been ditched at all, just repackaged. We're getting one of them in fact. The difference being that the placeholders and massing models in the original site plan are finally being filled in with actual designs.

[BigMac]

I find this laughable because they have not really been ditched at all, just repackaged. We're getting one of them in fact. The difference being that the placeholders and massing models in the original site plan are finally being filled in with actual designs.

I came across The Berzon Report (http://www.justinberzon.com/BRMain.htm) last night, and while I'm hesitant to believe all that is suggested, I was surprised when I saw it pointed out how similar Libeskind's proposal is to the rejected "Memorial Plaza" plan (more in this (http://www.justinberzon.com/BBB-Libeskind%20Photoessay.pdf) PDF).

[BrooklynRider]

Old news. Read the thread.

[JMGarcia]

I find this laughable because they have not really been ditched at all, just repackaged. We're getting one of them in fact. The difference being that the placeholders and massing models in the original site plan are finally being filled in with actual designs.

I came across The Berzon Report (http://www.justinberzon.com/BRMain.htm) last night, and while I'm hesitant to believe all that is suggested, I was surprised when I saw it pointed out how similar Libeskind's proposal is to the rejected "Memorial Plaza" plan (more in this (http://www.justinberzon.com/BBB-Libeskind%20Photoessay.pdf) PDF).

Definitely old news but the perfect example of my point about looking for things to pick on in the vain hopes of effecting change. For instance, Berzon seeks to show deep seated corruption and illegal behaviour in the hopes of having another design picked.

[NYatKNIGHT]

Right, when in reality most of the people who "rejected" the original designs by BB&B had no idea what they were looking at.

[JMGarcia]

Worse, even if they knew what they were looking at they didn't have the experience to be able to extrapolate it properly. Public judging was done based on the quality of the presentation more or less.

[JMGarcia]

To add to that, its amazing to me, for example, how many people change their opinion of the Freedom Tower based on seeing larger renderings or renderings given a different color spectrum.

[NYatKNIGHT]

Yup, same thing with Reflecting Absence.

[LuPeRcALiO]

Maybe extra width on Vesey will hide those pounds.
that might help, Zippy, but the problem appears to be genetic.

[ZippyTheChimp]

Who's the bad DNA?

Libeskind?
Childs?
Both? (my pick)

[LuPeRcALiO]

both but there seems to be some question of paternity.

[LuPeRcALiO]

p.s. rumor has it that the Governor had his way with one of the models.

[NYguy]

Is tower 2 getting taller?

http://downtownexpress.com/de_37/santiago.jpg


http://downtownexpress.com/de_36/cover.jpg


http://downtownexpress.com/de_36/mayor.jpg

[JayW]

It would look that way to me. According to earlier models I've seen, the roofs of the other four buildings sweep up toward the peak of FT's scraper portion. Now it seems that the angle is headed to the top of the structure itself. Notice, if you would, how the apparently more pronounced angularity of Tower Two reflects this.

[NYguy]

Maybe its just poor model making, but we really haven't heard anything of the other towers in a while.

[TLOZ Link5]

The other towers have yet to be designed, though, right?

[Clarknt67]

The other towers have yet to be designed, though, right?

I don't think they even have a developer lined up to build the other towers (at least if they do, I haven't heard of it). The towers modeled in the master plan are merely theoretical, until market demands entice some developer to build them.

[Gulcrapek]

Silverstein's stated he'll build the other four in a yearly succession...

[RedFerrari360f1]

There jsut massing concepts to coincide with Libeskinds vision.

[BigMac]

The other towers have yet to be designed, though, right?

I don't think they even have a developer lined up to build the other towers (at least if they do, I haven't heard of it).

Norman Foster, Fumihiko Maki, and Jean Nouvel will design the other towers. Here (http://observer.com/pages/story.asp?ID=7967) is some more information.

[dbhstockton]

It's nice to see a new memeber being helpful and constructive. Welcome, BigMac.

[BigMac]

Thank you dbhstockton; this forum is very enlightening, and I enjoy reading and providing information when I can.

[NYguy]

Before setting his sight on the Statue of Liberty, Libeskind had his own vision for what should rise on the site, rejected for obvious reasons by the LMDC...


http://www.architexturez.net/FILES/archive/sub.gate.archive/libskind-newtwintowers.jpg?

[krulltime]

:lol: That is really good NYguy!

I can't stop laughing...It is been a while that the forum needs a good joke once in a while.

[aguga]

Before setting his sight on the Statue of Liberty, Libeskind had his own vision for what should rise on the site, rejected for obvious reasons by the LMDC...


http://www.architexturez.net/FILES/archive/sub.gate.archive/libskind-newtwintowers.jpg?

image is from http://www.architexturez.net/FILES/archive/sub.gate.archive/bc-twin_towers.shtml

[BigMac]

The following was originally posted by "News Link" on the QuickTopic (http://www.quicktopic.com/25/H/ZSqAjLFJPKC) forum:

Been there, done that?

http://www.nyobserver.com/pages/world.asp

Click the two pics in the top row, left-hand corner.

http://www.rhapsody.com/travel/image.php?st_mary

[Jasonik]

http://www.albertliao.com/rhapsody/st_mary/0002.jpg

[ZippyTheChimp]

Kenzo Tange (http://www.ktaweb.com/en_index2.html)

[Freedom Tower]

That's the architect of the building jasonik posted?

[Kris]

NY Times:

ARCHITECTURE: SEEING THE FUTURE Beginning on Wednesday an eight-foot high, three-dimensional scale model of the Freedom Tower, scheduled to be the first building to rise at ground zero, will be on view at the Center for Architecture, 536 La Guardia Place. Designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill for Silverstein Properties, the model is the centerpiece of a free exhibition, "Rethinking the Skyline: Rebuilding the City." The Center for Architecture, sponsored by the New York Chapter of the American Institute of Architects, is open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday.

[Gulcrapek]

You think it'll be the old model or a new, tweaked one?

[JMGarcia]

Given the expense of models and the size of this one I would guess that its that same one used for the initial presentation.

[NyC MaNiAc]

Hmm. When's the next "stage" of the rebuilding process?

Are they just going to start laying the foundation this September, or is there still more things to get ironed out?

[Kris]

New York’s Center For Architecture Displays Model of World Trade Center Freedom Tower

February 24, 2004

Beginning Tonight the American Institute of Architecture New York Chapter’s Center For Architecture will be displaying a model of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill’s 1,776 foot Freedom Tower.

The model, measuring eight feet tall, and illuminated from the interior, is the same structure displayed at Federal Hall at the initial tower design unveiling. Along with it are renderings of the building, site plans, a model within the context of the site, and photographs.

“The idea of the exhibit is to put on display something that has been fairly hidden from the public,” says Ric Bell, Executive Director of the AIA’s New York Chapter.

The display, beginning tonight at 6:30, will mark the opening of an exhibition entitled “Rethinking The Skyline, Rebuilding The City: The New Tower For Ground Zero. For more information, visitors can call the Center For Architecture at 212-358-0640.

Sam Lubell

http://archrecord.construction.com/news/wtc/archives/040224wtc.asp

[Kris]

Secondary observation deck to rise 1,500 feet above ground zero

By JENNIFER FRIEDLIN
Associated Press Writer

February 24, 2004, 10:20 PM EST

NEW YORK -- Visitors who take an elevator some 1,500 feet above ground zero will one day gaze at the city's skyline from an observation deck near the spire of the Freedom Tower, the building's architect said Tuesday.

David Childs, the lead architect of the building planned to replace the trade center, said the 1,776-foot skyscraper will have two observation decks -- one at the top of the 70-story office tower. From there, he said, a separate elevator will take visitors "up to the very top of the building."

He said the second deck would either be at the base of the spire, which Childs has likened to the Statue of Liberty's torch, or within the maze of cables and energy-generating turbines above the office space.

Childs spoke at the Center for Architecture Tuesday evening as he and site developer Larry Silverstein unveiled a 9-foot-tall scale model of the Freedom Tower. The model, which was first unveiled last month, will sit in the Center for Architecture through May.

Silverstein called the proposed tower "spectacular" and said it embodied American determination.

Construction of the Freedom Tower, which officials say would become the world's tallest building, is expected to begin late this summer. The tower is scheduled for completion in 2009.

Childs said plans were on schedule, but that he still was working to resolve technical issues, including refining the design of the slope of the tower's roof to prevent snow and ice from falling off it and injuring people below. He said he is still negotiating the exact placements of broadcast antennas to be encased in the tower's spire.

Copyright © 2004, The Associated Press

[Freedom Tower]

Hey does anyone have pictures of this 8 foot tall model yet? Or at least a link to a picture of it?

[TLOZ Link5]

My dorm is very near the Center for Architecture. I could go tomorrow and hopefully take some pictures.

[NYguy]

Took these earlier today at the Center for Architecture, nothing new, just a look at the tower on the skyline. It could be a little too late, seeing as how its not really the final version of the tower, but here it is....


1.
http://www.pbase.com/image/26405379/large.jpg


2.
http://www.pbase.com/image/26405382/large.jpg


3.
http://www.pbase.com/image/26405383/large.jpg


4.
http://www.pbase.com/image/26405384/large.jpg


5.
http://www.pbase.com/image/26405386/large.jpg


6.
http://www.pbase.com/image/26405396/large.jpg


7.
http://www.pbase.com/image/26405398/large.jpg


8.
http://www.pbase.com/image/26405410/large.jpg


9.
http://www.pbase.com/image/26405454/large.jpg


10.
http://www.pbase.com/image/26405458/large.jpg


11.
http://www.pbase.com/image/26405470/large.jpg


12.
http://www.pbase.com/image/26405473/large.jpg


13.
http://www.pbase.com/image/26405475/large.jpg


14.
http://www.pbase.com/image/26405478/large.jpg


15.
http://www.pbase.com/image/26405479/large.jpg


16.
http://www.pbase.com/image/26405483/large.jpg


17.
http://www.pbase.com/image/26405486/large.jpg


18.
http://www.pbase.com/image/26405499/large.jpg


19.
http://www.pbase.com/image/26405501/original.jpg

[TAFisher123]

Quality work, thank you.

[JMGarcia]

Excellent!

Notice in this picture how transparent the cables will be.

http://www.pbase.com/image/26405396/large.jpg

I think that's a much better approximation of what it will really look like compared to the other models where it looks more solid.

I almost think that the shape of the building only up to the occuppied areas roof is better than it is with the cables and those poles sticking out the roof.

[Freedom Tower]

I agree. Although bad for height, if the top was cut off, the building would look even better. Thanks for those pics, i think you got all the angles :wink: So it seems from the unveiling of the building in december until now in february they still have not redesigned the top. I hope the construction can still start this summer. Do you think they are going to have a final plan before anything starts rising or do you think the top will be designed while the bottom is being built? Would they do something like that or just delay construction for a final design if it ever came down to it?

[NYguy]

I believe these are the original models from the unveiling. They should have been on display sooner though. I guess its the same as looking at all the previous WTC models, we know it won't look exactly like this, but it comes the closest I guess...

[billyblancoNYC]

Do you think it will really be, virtually, see-through? It would look great if it was.

[thirduncle]

I actually think the Freedom Tower is a near-masterpiece that synthesizes many of the better ideas that were offered at the LMDC show and by Guy Nordstrom.* I am glad the Liebeskind spire is being "foisted" on the building. Here's why...

Many have derided the idea of a sculptural element that abstractly, yet purposefully, echoes the statue of liberty. At least it represents an American ideal. Let me tell you what I find a million times more silly.

For more than half a century, Americans have been brainwashed into thinking that skyscrapers MUST have flat roofs. This all came about because Walter Gropius and the Bauhaus crew decreed that all workers of all classes must work in a "bourgeois proof" unadorned, factory-like box. Ornamentation was a sin because it was considered "bourgeois."* Gropius, upon his promotion at Harvard, convinced generations of architectural students that all "serious" architects must think this way. How corporate America embraced this "serious" concept is chronicled in Tom Wolfe's book.

This all seems pretty silly now, huh? This is why, I think, there is no visceral sense of aesthetic loss of the twin towers. They were merely the largest of cookie cutter buildings that were baked over every American skyline for a half century. Many of you thought it was corny that Liebeskind talked of being inspired by the Statue of Liberty when he came to America. But I truly believe that this DID resonate with the public that there was a sense that they wanted something in the new design to represent SOMETHING other than Bauhaus orthodoxy, even if they had never even heard of the Bauhaus. Likewise, I was pleased that the "comforting" yet dull retro design of Peterson Littenberg was dismissed. Post modern buildings like some by Philip Johnson are great, but I think there was a desire to see something modern, something new, but not "modern-IST."

I actually LIKE the somewhat awkward appearance of the Freedom Tower. I think it perfectly represents the present intersection of American culture: that it took a shotgun wedding to break an entrenched and false ideological habit. To the developer, the spire is an unnecessary expense. To the architect (Childs), it's something that was drilled into his head as being artistically "impure."

Although Childs is a decent synthesizer of ideas, (Wright's parallelogram, Guy Nordstrom's torque, Think's lattice and wind turbines, even Foster's diamond patterns) he still can't quite break with the holy flattop.* Old dogmatic habits die hard. In this case, apostasy is being forced on him. I'm inclined to think of these circumstances as being positive.

[Derek2k3]

Some pictures of the Freedom Tower.

http://galleries.soaringtowers.org/albums/Derek2k3/Picture_1011.sized.jpg
http://galleries.soaringtowers.org/albums/Derek2k3/Picture_1012.sized.jpg
http://galleries.soaringtowers.org/albums/Derek2k3/Picture_1015.sized.jpg
http://galleries.soaringtowers.org/albums/Derek2k3/Picture_1017.sized.jpg
http://galleries.soaringtowers.org/albums/Derek2k3/Picture_1018.sized.jpg
http://galleries.soaringtowers.org/albums/Derek2k3/Picture_1019.sized.jpg
http://galleries.soaringtowers.org/albums/Derek2k3/Picture_1021.sized.jpg
http://galleries.soaringtowers.org/albums/Derek2k3/Picture_1026.sized.jpg

A photo of Zackendorf, IM Pei, and Frank Williams from Monday.
http://galleries.soaringtowers.org/albums/Derek2k3/Picture_997.sized.jpg

[BigMac]

That is a good analysis of the Freedom Tower, and I mostly agree, whereas I had originally thought that the tower (while I do admire it) stole some uniqueness from the statue...but it has grown on me.

One point in defense of flat roofs: they tend to be safer for pedestrians below. One concern of the Freedom Tower's current design is that, what with the curved roof separating the offices from the windmills, snow and ice could possibly slide off the building. Also, when it came to the former World Trade Center, I appreciated the flat roof since, on top of the south tower, one was allowed a completely panoramic view of the city.

[NYatKNIGHT]

Now that I've seen the models up close, I hope more than ever that they make the roof and spire more elegant.

[finnman69]

I have a hard time seeing how sucha massive building can be held up with such flimsy sturcture as depicted in this model. I think the thickness of the structure is severely fudged in this model.


Notice in this picture how transparent the cables will be.

http://www.pbase.com/image/26405396/large.jpg

I think that's a much better approximation of what it will really look like compared to the other models where it looks more solid.

I almost think that the shape of the building only up to the occuppied areas roof is better than it is with the cables and those poles sticking out the roof.[/quote]

[NYguy]

The model doesn't really give us a lot to work with as far as the top of the tower goes...I'm still waiting to see how the spire-observation deck turns out...


http://galleries.soaringtowers.org/albums/Derek2k3/Picture_1026.sized.jpg

[larven]

From that viewpoint it reminds me of the Shanghai World Financial Centre (SWFC) with the way it gracefully twists and narrows towards the top. Thats no bad thing in my view as the SWFC is probably one of the most elegant skyscrapers never to have been built.

http://skyscraperpage.com/gallery/data/570/456swfc.jpg

[Jasonik]

I am starting to appreciate the Childs design for the way it references the Verizon building to the North; parallelogram base w/ rotated top, -classy.

[Kris]

March 14, 2004

High Anxiety

By JAMES GLANZ

http://graphics7.nytimes.com/images/2004/03/14/arts/GLAN.184.1.jpg
The Freedom Tower may serve as a test case for a new generation of buildings that try to make statements on their skylines while ensuring safety.

Slide Show: Building Confidence (http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2004/03/11/arts/20040314_GLAN_slideshow_1.html)

Right now, the designers of the Freedom Tower are struggling to master three colossal forces that are at work in the stark, empty sky above the World Trade Center site: gravity, wind and, perhaps most formidably, fear.

Any architect or engineer who works on a tall structure is morally and professionally obligated to become something of a safety obsessive. The steel and concrete of every Manhattan skyscraper has to resist hurricane-force winds, for example, as well as the downward pull of the Earth. But only the Freedom Tower will rise over a patch of ground that is forever shaken with the terror and paranoia of the worst building catastrophe in the history of the planet. As with the very first generation of skyscrapers, the work will have to be so visibly solid, so secure, that it will convince an anxious public to step into the building. After all, those who enter will not only be haunted by what occurred at the site in the past; they will also be apprehensive about what could happen again.

Last December, the twisting, tapering outlines of the building were unveiled: 70 occupied floors topped by a cable superstructure and a spire reaching 1,776 feet. At the ceremony, David M. Childs, the architect and consulting partner at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill who is leading the design team, said it would "probably be the safest building in the world."

In an attempt to live up to that very public promise — to overcome public fear, and reassure prospective tenants — the designers of the tower are carrying out a most unusual exercise that is in equal parts brainstorming, forensic analysis and Götterdämmerung-style what-iffing. They are systematically mapping out a dark spectrum of possible calamities, from major fires to terrorist attacks, and they are attempting to measure, with the greatest precision that technology affords, how well the building would hold up and safeguard the people inside. With that information in hand, the designers are improving the structure and trying to make it safer.

"This is at ground zero," said Daniel Libeskind, the architect who is the master planner for the site. "So I think the site has the responsibility to go way beyond the ordinary safety codes. Everything in the power of engineering, security thinking, safety thinking, architecture, urbanism has to be done to recognize that this is a special site."

The first goal, of course, will be to prevent any future terrorist attacks, and the builders of the Freedom Tower say that a variety of intensive security measures will be put in place. Even so, every prospective tenant is likely to entertain the same thought on his first trip to the top. As John W. McCormick, an engineer and code expert who is a consultant on the project, puts it: "There's a need to recognize that, just very possibly, it might be a target."

So the engineers and architects are thinking the unthinkable, and playing out their visions of catastrophe, often on computers. The work is still in its earliest stages, and much of it remains deliberately shrouded in secrecy. But it will include simulations of mass evacuations as emergency personnel rush up the stairs, fires and smoke that sweep through multiple floors, blasts and impacts that knock out huge steel structural supports, and internal damage that leaves some of the water sprinklers unable to function.

The preparations, in fact, are so extensive that they might make current industry standards seem lax by comparison. The builder of another signature tower declined to be included in this article, concerned that even his company's extensive safety studies would not measure up. Indeed, Howard J. Rubenstein, spokesman for Larry A. Silverstein, the site's developer, says that Freedom Tower "will incorporate all of the innovative safety features Larry Silverstein is building into 7 World Trade Center, which exceed all relevant city and state building codes."

Legally, however, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is exempt from city building codes, as it was when it built the first World Trade Center. The exemption has become bitterly controversial.

"They're still enjoying all the immunities," said Monica Gabrielle, the co-chairwoman of the Skyscraper Safety Campaign, who lost her husband, Richard, in the collapse of the south tower on Sept. 11. "We've heard `meet and exceed' before. We've heard `innovative' before. And when I hear those things I start to twitch."

She's not the only one. "He's really setting up an interesting challenge for himself," said Kathleen J. Tierney, a sociology professor and director of the Natural Hazards Center at the University of Colorado in Boulder, speaking of the promise Mr. Childs made at the unveiling ceremony. "I mean, how's he going to prove it?"

Perhaps only an independent panel of structural, fire and safety experts could give such an assertion credibility, said Dr. Tierney, who is on the advisory committee of a continuing federal investigation of the trade center disaster.

The Port Authority put some of its intentions in writing, signing a "memorandum of understanding" with the city buildings and fire department in 1993 pledging to meet or exceed the municipal building code, but critics have called the agreement toothless. A spokesman for the Port Authority, Dan Maynard, said the agency is determined to fulfill the agreement. "We take it as a personal thing given our facilities have been terrorist targets," he said. He added that building plans would be subjected to an independent peer review.

During an interview earlier this month, Mr. Childs qualified his earlier statement somewhat. In a crisis, Mr. Childs said, "obviously the White House war situation room is probably the safest place to be. But of high-rise buildings, I believe this is one of the safest."

Mr. Childs added that while he sympathized with the skepticism expressed by those who lost loved ones, "I would say, `Take me on my words for what I know. I'm not doing this to sell the building. That's not my job. I'm doing that because I feel a sense of responsibility."

The details of the safety features could change substantially as the design process plays out. But in broad terms, the plan begins with the steel and concrete structure that will resist the forces of gravity and wind and keep the building standing under ordinary circumstances.

At street level, the building's cross section, or footprint, is a parallelogram whose short diagonal runs from the southwest corner to the northeast corner. Those two corners run vertically upward, while the other two sweep in as the building rises, creating the torqued and tapering effect in the steel-and-glass perimeter. The core of the building, where the elevators and stairwells will be, is to be reinforced concrete.

The concrete core continues several hundred feet above the highest occupied floor. From its highest point, cables drape down to the rim of the occupied part of the building, forming a stout structural connection between core and exterior. How well that structure would withstand specific kinds of attacks — say, a car bomb that blows out a support column at street level — is one of the biggest questions facing the design team. Citing security concerns, however, members of the project declined to discuss the specific terrorist scenarios they have considered.

Whatever those chilling specifics, the general approach that the designers are taking is clear, said Matthys Levy, an engineer and founding partner at Weidlinger Associates, the company that is consulting on the effects of blasts for the project.

"You define attack scenarios," said Mr. Levy, who cautioned that he was not directly involved in the work on the Freedom Tower. "You say under certain scenarios you might lose an element in the building. Then, you look at the redundancy" — the ability of the structure to shift loads over to undamaged columns and beams.

And in that respect, the basic structure of the Freedom Tower appears to rate high marks, Mr. Childs said. In a reflection of the two sloping corners of the tower, steel support columns in the perimeter intersect in shallow angles and form tall triangles with the floors. Even if part of that structure were blown away, the rest of it would retain its overall integrity, "like a showgirl's stocking," Mr. Childs said.

"They really form a fabric," he said. "So you can tear a hole in it and yet that fabric all still holds together."

That effect, said Guy Nordenson, a structural engineer who produced an early design for the building (some features of which were incorporated into the current working version), is reminiscent of the one that kept the twin towers standing immediately after the planes punched huge gashes in their sides.

According to Mr. Nordenson, the cable system is designed to shift loads from damaged elements on the perimeter to the core, so that a damaged portion of the building could in principle "hang" from the core like canvas from a tent pole, which gives the structure added redundancy, and therefore safety. "It can accommodate whatever scenarios you want to throw at it," he said.

For his earlier design, topped with a similar structure, Mr. Nordenson calculated what might happen if high-speed aluminum projectiles — say, the fuselage and wings of an airplane — struck the cables. Like the cables that hung from dirigibles above London in the Blitz, he said, this structure would probably cut up the planes while holding the building. But because those calculations are preliminary, and based on an earlier version of the design, Mr. Nordenson has not shared them with the rest of the Freedom Tower design team. He said that he has not done any calculations of what would happen if a plane struck the lower, occupied part of the building.

The stairways in the core will be lined with concrete, which should also have a much better chance of staying intact during a blast or impact than the drywall that was used in the twin towers. More than 1,000 people were probably alive in the upper floors of those buildings after the planes hit, but they could not get down because the stairwells were not passable. "When you consider some kind of event — of course an airplane or projectile hitting the building — certainly there is the potential for the damaging of the stairs," said Mr. McCormick, the building code expert. "That is why we are seeing the hardening of the interior of the building."

The design team is also considering a measure that would be remarkable in a commercial environment where every square foot not devoted to real estate counts as lost revenue. Two escape stairwells would be required by city code, but according to Carl Galioto, an architect and partner at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, the design team may recommend a third. It would allow emergency personnel to enter the building quickly without slowing down people in the main escape routes. The third stairwell would occupy about 100 square feet per floor, Mr. Galioto said.

As in the design for 7 World Trade Center, which is under construction, the team has already committed to making the two escape stairwells wider than required in the code, with extra-wide landings, emergency backup power for the lighting, photoluminescent paint on things like handrails, and — another measure not required by code in a sprinklered building like the Freedom Tower — ventilation systems to pressurize the stairwells and keep smoke out.

To gauge the benefits of a third stairwell, the designers will once again conjure up specific emergencies — this time using computerized facsimiles that simulate what occupants might do in a crisis. Looking preternaturally calm, even disembodied, the swarms of faux-humans make "decisions" about which exits to take and whether to stay with co-workers or family members while breathing noxious fumes. In one such program, the zombie-like people sink through the floor and disappear as they die of smoke inhalation or heat exposure. Although the programs have been criticized as oversimplifying complicated human responses to emergencies, they do let engineers estimate the speed of evacuation under various circumstances

"We will look at ways to evacuate the entire building," Mr. Galioto said, "under a number of different scenarios" — from a blackout to a terrorist attack, testing the effect of the third stairwell in all the cases.

One fire safety expert, Jake Pauls of John Jay College of Criminal Justice, questioned how occupants could be dissuaded from using the third stairwell to escape during an emergency. But a designer on the project said simply that the stair may not be labeled with an exit sign. In this plan, certain elevators could be located close to the third stair, allowing firefighters to take an elevator up to two or so floors below a fire, then climb the special stair the rest of the way.

As to fireproofing, Mr. Galioto said that the building would rely on a spray-on, cement-based product that adhered much more strongly to steel than the code required, but that he would specify insulation thicknesses that meet the code, rather than surpass it. A flimsy and easily dislodged type of fireproofing has become a controversial element of the twin towers' construction. "Keep it on the steel," Mr. Galioto said. "That will be adequate to protect the structure."

He said that the tower would also have provisions for internal antennas and a "repeater," or signal-boosting, system to help emergency workers communicate with one another when they are in the building.

All of the people involved in designing the Freedom Tower said that despite its fraught location, other signature buildings — those that seek to make a statement on a skyline anywhere in the world — would now face many of the same safety challenges. The Freedom Tower may serve as a test case for this new generation of skyscrapers. That means it is crucial to find architectural expressions that mesh gracefully with those twilight concerns for safety, said Mr. Libeskind, the master planner.

"It's global," Mr. Libeskind said. "Perhaps we have to live with it for the foreseeable future, but we should not be deterred from making an open, interesting architecture that is really optimistic in the way it's conceived, in terms of the openness of the city."

Copyright 2004 The New York Times Company

[Kris]

March 23, 2004

The 1,776-Foot-Tall Target

By DANIEL BENJAMIN

WASHINGTON

Now that jihadists have carried out an attack that shook a Western European democracy, it should be clear that these terrorists still think big and possess a ghastly ingenuity, even after two and a half years of progress in dismantling Al Qaeda and its affiliates. The carnage in Madrid — and the public hearings this week on the 9/11 attacks — ought to remind us of the need to limit our own vulnerabilities. Yet on the site of America's greatest terrorist tragedy, where no reminder should be necessary, such thinking is virtually nonexistent.

The 1,776-foot-tall Freedom Tower, designed to be the world's tallest and to stand where the World Trade Center did, will become a top target for Islamic terrorists as soon as it is occupied. In the three months since the building's design was unveiled, we have experienced not only the Madrid attacks but also, for nearly three weeks in December and January, a national alert level of orange, or high risk, during which intelligence and law enforcement agencies labored to prevent another terrorist attack involving aircraft. Well after the level was reduced to yellow, or elevated, flights from Europe to the United States continued to be canceled.

The architects and engineers of Freedom Tower are working to devise ways to increase the security of the building's future occupants, pondering additional stairwells for escape, new supports that would prevent structural failure and better flame retardants. "Of high-rise buildings, I believe this is one of the safest," said David Childs, one of its principal architects.

But when one compares these engineering revisions to the continued proof of radical Islamists' determination to carry out high-casualty attacks, it's hard not to reach the conclusion that the plans for ground zero are profoundly irresponsible.

Why would terrorists choose to attack the same place again? Actually, they have left us a large body of evidence about how much those blocks in Lower Manhattan mean to them. When radical Islamists first began to plot violence against America, the World Trade Center was central to their thinking. No later than 1990, El Sayyid Nosair — the assassin of the radical Jewish leader Meir Kahane — had written down a call for destroying "the structure of civilized pillars such as their touristic infrastructure which they are proud of and their high world buildings which they are proud of." Federal prosecutors have asserted that this was a reference to the World Trade Center, and that his interest in the site was likely stirred by the sermons of Omar Abdel Rahman, the blind sheik who has long been one of the radicals' most revered clerics.

Mr. Nosair and Mr. Abdel Rahman were members of the jihadist set in Brooklyn and New Jersey that Ramzi Yousef — the architect of the 1993 bombing of the trade center — joined when he arrived in the United States. Mr. Yousef would later admit to the F.B.I. that he had hoped to topple one tower into the other and kill 250,000 people. His attack killed only six and was viewed by fellow radicals as a failure.

The determination to redress that failure prompted Osama bin Laden and his followers to work for years on the plan that culminated in 9/11. The importance of the towers was clear in Mr. bin Laden's first video message after the attack: "Those awesome symbolic towers that speak of liberty, human rights and humanity have been destroyed. They have gone up in smoke."

An even taller structure at ground zero, with its message of heroic resolve, will be an even more powerful symbol of American might and values — and thus irresistible for terrorists. Last month Robert Mueller, director of the F.B.I., testified before Congress that "there are strong indications that Al Qaeda will revisit missed targets until they succeed." Mr. Mueller was suggesting that the White House and Capitol now fall in the category of such targets. But wouldn't Freedom Tower, with vastly more inhabitants and the ghosts of 9/11 hovering over it, be at least as attractive?

One can appreciate New Yorkers' determination to show their spirit. But does it make sense to erect such a symbol if we are not sure we can defend it? Recent intelligence has confirmed that Al Qaeda continues to want to use airplanes as weapons. Such a strategy will remain attractive for terrorists because of the destructive force an airplane can pack. It is difficult to imagine that any engineering fixes short of putting the building inside a vast cage can truly protect it from the impact of a wide-body jet filled with fuel.

The total amount of energy released by the two 767's that struck the Twin Towers equaled that of a tactical nuclear weapon — almost a quarter of a kiloton. In 2006, two years before Freedom Tower is scheduled to open, a new generation of aircraft, led by the Airbus A380, will begin entering service in the world's airlines. The A380 will carry almost 82,000 gallons of fuel, more than three times as much as a 767. One hardly needs to do the math.

Although there have been great strides in improving security in commercial aviation, perfect safety is unattainable. Intelligence gathering has also improved, but no one can promise that all future conspiracies will be discovered and disrupted. Will Air Force fighters constantly patrol, at astronomical cost, the approaches to the Freedom Tower? If they do, are we certain that the government will be prepared to shoot down a suspicious plane on a second's notice?

Many will consider an objection to the Freedom Tower on safety grounds to be bad manners. After all, the resolve to overcome disaster is in our bones and in our history. Some will argue that building a more modest structure will not lower the likelihood of attack against America, which is true but beside the point. Others will say that to scrap Freedom Tower is to hand terrorists a victory.

This ignores the difference between heroic resolve and foolishness. Dangling an iconic and indefensible target in front of terrorists is inconsistent with a strategy of reducing our vulnerabilities wherever possible. It could also lead to terrorists scoring an enormous victory that would further energize their cause. The United States has acted to protect vulnerable embassies and consulates abroad, even though that has often meant putting more distance between our diplomats and the countries they serve in. Last November, our consulate in downtown Istanbul, rather than Britain's, might have been bombed had we not moved it to a secure site outside town. The same kind of calculations — not reflexive bravado — ought to govern planning for ground zero.

Daniel Benjamin, a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, is the co-author of "The Age of Sacred Terror."

Copyright 2004 The New York Times Company

[Gulcrapek]

Didn't we have this argument a year ago?

[NYguy]

The carnage in Madrid — and the public hearings this week on the 9/11 attacks — ought to remind us of the need to limit our own vulnerabilities.....

Yeah, why don't we all just stay home behind locked doors.... :roll:

I'm sick of these "fearmongers" writing this garbage. If the Freedom Tower isn't built, does that mean America will no longer be a target of the terrorists?

Daniel Benjamin should lock himself in a bunker and stay there....

[TomAuch]

The Anti-Rebuilders think that by not building building tall, Ground Zero won't be a target. Excuse me? Arn't we also building a Train Station larger than Grand Central, and a large-scale memorial. So those won't be targets in their own right?
...This moron doesn't realize that NYC is full of targets....and Madrid wasn't even a skyscraper attack...should we stop taking the rails because of Madrid?




The carnage in Madrid — and the public hearings this week on the 9/11 attacks — ought to remind us of the need to limit our own vulnerabilities.....

Yeah, why don't we all just stay home behind locked doors.... :roll:

I'm sick of these "fearmongers" writing this garbage. If the Freedom Tower isn't built, does that mean America will no longer be a target of the terrorists?

Daniel Benjamin should lock himself in a bunker and stay there....

[Christopher X]

No, he's right. We need to start dismantling buildings right away. Probably should start with the Empire State Building and work our way down by height. I suppose we can't continue call it New York City after the dismantling. We could call it Reflecting Absence City. RACY for short. That'll sell. People will come from all over the world to see RACY, the city that aint. We'll sell them snow-globes with nothing in it. That can't miss. Sam from The Apprentice will be mayor and Anna Nicole Smith his economic advisor. Howard Stern will broadcast from the top of his padded cell. The Knicks can play at RA North, the Nets at RA South. It'll be awesome. We just need to do it fast before it loses momentum. Does anybody know how we could get these buildings down fast?

[BrooklynRider]

No, he's right. We need to start dismantling buildings right away. Probably should start with the Empire State Building and work our way down by height. I suppose we can't continue call it New York City after the dismantling. We could call it Reflecting Absence City. RACY for short. That'll sell. People will come from all over the world to see RACY, the city that aint. We'll sell them snow-globes with nothing in it. That can't miss. Sam from The Apprentice will be mayor and Anna Nicole Smith his economic advisor. Howard Stern will broadcast from the top of his padded cell. The Knicks can play at RA North, the Nets at RA South. It'll be awesome. We just need to do it fast before it loses momentum. Does anybody know how we could get these buildings down fast?

Thanks for a moment of laughter this morning! :lol:

[NYguy]

NO, as I've said before, the best solution would be to disband New York City. Ship the inhabitants off to the far corners of the country. Spread'em out. That way, the terrorist will be confused. No New York, no target, and no terrorism, right? But wait, they might just pick a new target. Nevermind....(we will never be free of potential targets, anywhere)

[Kris]

March 29, 2004

Tower of Strength, or a Risky Lure? (5 Letters)

To the Editor:

Daniel Benjamin suggests that because terrorists target our symbols of liberty and freedom, it is irresponsible to build them ("The 1,776-Foot-Tall Target," Op-Ed, March 23). Perhaps we should put the Statue of Liberty or the Liberty Bell in storage under such logic.

On the contrary, we should rebuild precisely because it would demonstrate what Mr. Benjamin calls "heroic resolve" in the face of terrific adversity.

Mr. Benjamin's concern for human safety is completely valid, of course, but that simply means that the symbols must be guarded with the most vigilant security, and perhaps new security measures must be developed. This will lead to added costs, but the costs are well worth it.

RAYMOND A. PSONAK
Brooklyn, March 25, 2004

•

To the Editor:

New York, New York, city of my ancestors and of my birth, sometimes I wonder at you.

How, pray tell, will leasing agents for the Freedom Tower find enough tenants with a death wish to occupy such an inviting target (Op-Ed, March 23)?

CONCHITA RYAN COLLINS
Tucson, March 25, 2004

•

To the Editor:

Daniel Benjamin warns us, compellingly, that building the world's tallest structure on the site of the World Trade Center will invite terrorist attacks (Op-Ed, March 23). But are terrorists not just as inspired to attack existing symbols of American power, like the Empire State Building or the Chrysler Building? Isn't all of New York City a target?

At this point, terrorists are fully engaged in a war against America and will try to strike again. No amount of architectural modesty will deter them.

The name Freedom Tower alone would be enough to get a terrorist's blood boiling. So why not continue as planned to build a structure that is both grandiose and graceful, and consistent with the greatness of the city and the country from which it rises?

ANDREW KING
Brewer, Me., March 25, 2004

•

To the Editor:

The construction of the Freedom Tower, far from being "reflexive bravado," in Daniel Benjamin's words (Op-Ed, March 23), sends a breathtakingly simple message to Osama bin Laden and all the would-be bin Ladens: "We do not fear you. We can, and will, protect ourselves, and we will prosper. We will, in our lifetimes, be privileged to see the destruction and defeat of you and your minions of evil."

WARREN R. GRAHAM
New York, March 25, 2004

•

To the Editor:

Daniel Benjamin (Op-Ed, March 23) states the obvious: skyscrapers are potential terrorist targets. But many civic structures — town squares, embassies and train stations — are, too. We would obviously restore these structures should disaster strike, despite their vulnerability to repeat attacks. After all, an essential aspect of coping with tragedy is rebuilding.

Israelis have shown remarkable resilience to suicide bombings by returning to bustling streets just hours after a catastrophe. Madrid is working to restore its trains so people can get back to work.

In Manhattan, the Twin Towers embodied the audacious spirit of the greatest city the world has ever known.

I say: Rebuild both towers bigger and better than ever, with the best safety systems money can buy.

And when they are done, reserve me a table on opening night in the new restaurant in the sky. There's nothing, nothing, like dessert above the clouds.

KIRSTEN HUBBARD
Newton, Mass., March 25, 2004

Copyright 2004 The New York Times Company

[NYguy]

Here's a pic of Childs' past working designs of the Freedom tower and current. I suspect that if Childs is able to restore some of the height, it will be closer to one of the middle towers...

From left to right:
2,000 ft tower
2,100 ft antenna, 1,776 ft tower
2,100 ft antenna, 1,776 ft tower
2,000 ft antenna, 1,600 ft tower
2,000 ft antenna, 1,500 ft tower (current version)

http://www.pbase.com/image/27581964/large.jpg

I prefer the 2,000 ft tower, but if there must be a spire, the middle tower looks best. You can see how the compromise with Libeskin led to a bland tower (current version) that hopefully will be remedied.

[JMGarcia]

From left ot right, numbers 1, 3, and 4 would be fantastic if they were indeed solid all the way up with number 1 being my favorite.

2 and 3 have the slope all wrong and the 50/50 split between lattice and actual building is horrible IMO.

Even though it may be taller it looks to weak unless there is more building than lattice.

[NYguy]

From left ot right, numbers 1, 3, and 4 would be fantastic if they were indeed solid all the way up with number 1 being my favorite.

2 and 3 have the slope all wrong and the 50/50 split between lattice and actual building is horrible IMO.

Even though it may be taller it looks to weak unless there is more building than lattice.

From left to right, the weakest is actually the current version. The 2,000 ft version of the tower would have been best, but I also like the second and third. The spire/antenna is very proportionate with the tower. I think one of the problems with the current version, beside being just plain stumpy, is the fact that the spire/antenna is 1/3 as tall as the tower itself.

Since we are going to have the off-centered spire, 2 and 3 would work best. As far as office space, in a tower nearly 2,000 ft - the difference between 1,100 and 900 ft of office space matters little, if at all in the overall design....

[JMGarcia]

I disagree completely. The issue is not the amount of office (900 vs 1150) but too much lattice compared to the office. Any of the solid ones are better but I'd take number 5 over number 2 any day. The proportions are so much better.

The top of the lattice needs work in both of them though. Neither angled like in #2 or flat as in #5 work well.

[Kris]

I gotta run.

But I thought I would run this by you guys.

A + U 386 02:11 Feature: SOM

has David Child's WTC proposal. The tower is coherent and quite gorgeous. It would have reached 1368 feet and with a mixed use program featuring Offices, Condos, and Hotels, would've been fully occupied.

Its an architectural gem, something the current cannot boast.

However I read the magazine in an architectural bookstore out here in LA and was afraid of taking a picture of the design. I was also turned away from paying the $40 price. So get out there, visit the MAS book store and see the design for yourselves.

[NYguy]

Any of the solid ones are better but I'd take number 5 over number 2 any day. The proportions are so much better.

You'd take the tower with the spire just thrown on top - regardless of what it looks like? Because that's basically what Childs did with that one. At least the other works make an attemp at something visually satisfying...

[JMGarcia]

^The spire is bad on both of them and is not part of my preference. I would take 5 over 2 because 5 has too much lattice in relation to the amount of occuppied space. Sometimes less is more. :)

[BigMac]

I like tower #1, though it makes me think of the Shanghai World Financial Center minus the hole.

[NYguy]

Broadcasting & Cable...(quotes from an article)

Let Freedom Reign

by Ken Kerschbaumer
Apr 05 '04

Last week, the Metropolitan Television Alliance, a consortium of 11 New York City TV stations, named Paul Bissonette president, replacing Ed Grebow, who left to pursue other opportunities. Bissonette was vice president and general manager at WPIX New York for three years. He'll call on his management experience and his understanding of technology to help New York broadcasters settle into their new home. He discussed his plans with B&C:

Where do things stand between the MTVA and Silverstein Properties, which will build the Freedom Tower?

Last May, a memorandum of understanding was signed that basically says New York broadcasters want to be there and Silverstein Properties wants them to be there. We'll jump very aggressively into the key design issues. Which will be a two-way street: them telling us what we need to know about the design of the building, and us telling them what they need to know about our needs.

Can you share any of those details?

Every antenna is a custom project. This one is perhaps the ultimate custom project. Everything we do at this stage is about what the antenna will look like and how it will function.

Do you think your challenge will be more political or technical?

I'm hoping it's going to be both. New York Gov. George Pataki has been very helpful and active in getting things moving at the site. New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has also been very supportive. I'm sure there will be both technical and political challenges down the road, but that's what will make this job exciting. Given the fact that nothing like this has ever been built before, it's inevitable there will be technical challenges. But I'm sure we're going to overcome them.

An op-ed piece in The New York Times recently discussed how the building will be an immediate target. Does that idea give the MTVA pause?

No. If you've been following some of the other things in the popular press about the Freedom Tower, [you know] everyone goes into the project with that in the back of their minds. But there are tremendous extra steps being taken to make this perhaps the safest building in the country. Somebody wrote a letter to the Times in response to that column that was absolutely on target. No amount of architectural modesty will deter people from attacking us. And I think it's in the spirit of New Yorkers to want to rebuild bigger and better than ever.

[TLOZ Link5]

Finally, an intelligent article that demonstrates the difference between common sense and a duck-and-cover mentality.

[TonyO]

No amount of architectural modesty will deter people from attacking us. And I think it's in the spirit of New Yorkers to want to rebuild bigger and better than ever.

Great quote. I couldn't have said it better myself.

[TomAuch]

It doesn't matter what we build at Ground Zero, as there are dozens of other "targets" in NYC, and hundreds or thousands nation-wide.

[Ninjahedge]

I like tower #1, though it makes me think of the Shanghai World Financial Center minus the hole.

That design has been bandied about a lot. It is one of the ones that was presented as a possibility (geometry) over in Korea on their latest project in Songdo.

I think the first one is the most structurally valid, achievable construction. The ultra-slanty roof of #3 is OK, but I see shedding (snow) and just unusable floorspace coming from that point.

The spire is OK, but it is purely decoration. We will see how important it is later.

As for the transparency of the building? I doubt it will be as such for several reasons. First being, how many offices have you seen no furnature in? Second, with a building this tall, you like to get some more structure around the perimeter to reduce sway, uplift and provide a bit of redundancy for the gravity systems. That redundancy is what allowed the WTC to stay standing so long after being hit by a jumbo jet and lit on fire....

So, although the models look really nice, I have never seen a building be able to look like some sort of lucite desktop item when it is fully built, and although the thought is a nice one, I would like to see some more "realistic" models in the near future... ;)

[NYguy]

Meanwhile, the wind farm attracts firms

.................................................. ................................

Detroit News
Thursday, April 22, 2004

Wind energizes business for small Brighton firm
Company makes bid to build generators atop Freedom Tower

By Eric Pope

BRIGHTON — Gary Westerholm is still running McKenzie Bay International Ltd. out of a home office in Brighton, but that doesn’t stop him from thinking big.

McKenzie Bay has developed a new system for wind-powered generation and storage, and Westerholm sees a large potential market in urban areas for clean and low-cost energy.

After the stock market closed on Monday, McKenzie Bay announced it had responded to a request for qualifications for installing wind turbines on top of the proposed Freedom Tower that will replace the World Trade Center in New York City. The company also announced that it has lined up almost 20 partners to implement this and other potential projects.

McKenzie Bay has proposed a 250-foot “vertical wind farm” of 30 100-kilowatt wind turbines in five tiers on top of the skyscraper. Published reports have indicated the wind turbines could supply about 20 percent of the building’s energy needs.

The company also proposed installing its WindStor system with vanadium-based storage batteries that would provide the Freedom Tower with a backup power source. McKenzie Bay is proposing to pay for the installation and sell the electricity to the building’s owners.

A spokesman for Silverstein Properties Inc. in New York City said the Freedom Tower developer will ask a “short list” of companies to provide more details following a review of about a dozen RFQs. No timetable has been set.

“This is a huge project that has its own pace,” Westerholm said.

With just eight employees, McKenzie Bay’s office is in Grand Rapids because the chief financial officer lives nearby. Three employees are in Montreal with Dermond Inc., a subsidiary responsible for developing and producing the vertical wind turbines.

Westerholm said his company can handle big projects because it is teaming up with experienced partners. Siemens Westinghouse, a subsidiary of Siemans AG, has agreed to install and maintain the wind-generating systems.

“As we went along we realized how large the scope was becoming. That dictated the need to get all these partnerships and alliances in place,” Westerholm said.

Westerholm, who retired from his CPA practice in Plymouth in 1995, founded McKenzie Bay in 1996 to mine vanadium in Quebec. In the process of looking for a market for this product, Westerholm acquired wind-generation and electricity storage technology. At first he thought his product would be good for remote Canadian villages, but changed the direction of the company last year when he saw an urban market.

Last fall, McLaren Regional Medical Center in Flint was the first customer to sign up for the new power source, but wind and electricity data must be collected first. The first installation could be this summer at the Brookhaven National Laboratory in Upton, N.Y., where wind readings are already available.

The biggest potential deal so far is with the Clark County School District that operates 289 schools in the Las Vegas area. After the wind testing is completed, a demonstration model will be installed at a high school as early as this summer.

http://www.detnews.com/pix/2004/04/22/biz/b022-wind-0404y-2.jpg

Gary Westerholm, McKenzie Bay president, shows a model of a generator made by his firm, which is in the bidding to put wind turbines on the proposed Freedom Tower that will replace the World Trade Center.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

prweb.com

Nature’s Electric Prepares to Aid in Designing the World's Highest Wind Farm in the World's Tallest Building

March 26, 2004

Nature’s Electric prepares to aid in designing the world's highest wind farm in the world's tallest building. The Freedom Tower I which is be the tallest building in the world will be constructed on the 16 acre site of the World Trade Center. A section near the top is planned to contain a wind farm so the building can generate its own electricity.

Houston, TX (PRWEB) March 26, 2004--Nature’s Electric Inc. is pleased to announce its intent to qualify for participation in design and construction of the world’s highest wind farm which is planned to be part of the proposed Freedom Tower.

The Freedom Tower I is planned for construction on the 16 acre site of the World Trade Center. Imagine looking into the future skyline of New York City and seeing the world’s tallest building. One that is taller than the Petronas Towers in Malaysia. Not only is this building taller, but it also generates a good portion of it own electricity. Electricity would not use up our oil, coal or natural gas resources, but would produce its own power from a clean, renewable resource; the wind.

This imaginative and futuristic plan is becoming a reality. Thanks to Governor Pataki , Mayor Bloomberg and the World Trade Center Properties, a basic plan was unveiled on December 19, 2003. Nature’s Electric is preparing to join the team. They are responding to the Request for Qualification. Once part of the design team, the Nature’s Electric Team will bring its years of practical experience and knowledge of “what it takes” to make wind power electric generation a reality. We will be happy to join this challenging task and to help make inroads into this ground breaking area for wind energy.

Nature’s Electric Inc., which is best known for its wind energy projects in Texas, is a Texas based corporation which develops renewable energy projects and technologies. Nature’s Electric is headquartered in Houston Texas with projects in West Texas, and future plans for projects in the former Soviet Union. It is an investor owned small business. Future plans call for development of highly profitable, megawatt sized solar energy systems and more wind development projects.

[NoyokA]

Well, atleast it's a decent looking generator:


http://www.detnews.com/pix/2004/04/22/biz/b022-wind-0404y-2.jpg

I love cross bracings and the structural look, it might just create appropriatley enough a suspended mobile.

[TomAuch]

Looks like one of those really old microphones from the '40s. Any minute now I'm expecting FDR to use that microphone to declare December 7th "a day of infamy".

[BigMac]

Newsday
May 5, 2004

Freedom Tower groundbreaking set for July 4th

Associated Press

Developers of the Freedom Tower will break ground on the 1,776-foot skyscraper at the World Trade Center site on July 4, The Associated Press has learned.

Gov. George E. Pataki was scheduled to announce the start date of the construction on what is promised to be the world's tallest building at a business luncheon later Wednesday.

"On July 4, as we commemorate the founding of our nation, we lay the foundation for our resurgence," Pataki said in prepared remarks obtained by The Associated Press. "On July 4, as fireworks burst in the sky, ephemeral reminders of our liberty, we will begin to reclaim our skyline with a permanent symbol of our freedom."

The July 4 date is ahead of Pataki's goal to break ground before the Republican National Convention at the end of August and fulfills redevelopment officials' promise to break ground by summer.

A Con Edison substation located in 7 World Trade Center, a building under construction, is expected to begin service by the end of the month, replacing equipment destroyed in the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

Pataki also was scheduled to announce two possible options for a rail link between lower Manhattan and Kennedy International Airport, which would give commuters a "one-seat" ride from downtown to the airport.

Pataki was leaning toward the choice of building a new tunnel for $6 billion under the East River. Another choice in the running is using a tunnel in Brooklyn, which serves the M, N and R subway lines, a source familiar with the rail link, speaking on condition of anonymity, told the AP on Tuesday. Using the Montague tunnel would cost $3.5 billion to $4.5 billion.

Pataki was scheduled to announce several other dates in the redevelopment timetable at the trade center site, including that a complete design of the memorial, "Reflecting Absence," would be finished by the end of the year and construction starting in 2006.

Private donors will need to raise money to build the memorial, which is budgeted for at least $350 million. Major League Baseball, the Baseball Players Association and the Baseball Tomorrow Fund are joining to donate $1 million to the fund, Pataki said in his prepared comments.

Associated Press Writer Karen Matthews contributed to this report.

Copyright 2004 Newsday, Inc.

[TonyO]

The July 4 date is ahead of Pataki's goal to break ground before the Republican National Convention at the end of August and fulfills redevelopment officials' promise to break ground by summer.


It's good that this is not being used so blatantly for Pataki and the GOP's political purposes. I would thank Pataki for having the common sense not to push something that is indefensible. But I am sure they will use it with maximum tackiness nonetheless. Not long ago, the plan to break ground during the convention was hardly questioned.

[NYatKNIGHT]

I was just thinking about this ground breaking, like why don't they start on digging the hole, aside from the ceremonial shovel of dirt. It just seems like they could be doing something, even if the plans aren't finalized.

[Kris]

May 5, 2004

Construction on New Trade Center Tower to Begin on July 4

By MARIA NEWMAN

Construction of Freedom Tower, the office high rise at the site of the World Trade Center that its developers say will be the world's tallest building, will break ground on July 4, Gov. George E. Pataki said today.

The governor's announcement, at a speech in lower Manhattan, was a broad signal that efforts to rebuild at the World Trade Center would not be slowed down by a major court loss suffered on Monday by the developer of the site.

"On July 4th, as we celebrate the birth of our democracy, we will also celebrate the rebirth of our city," the governor said. "We will begin to reclaim our skyline with a permanent symbol of our freedom.

"On July 4th, 2004, we will break ground on the Freedom Tower," he said.

In his speech to the Association for a Better New York today, Mr. Pataki outlined the timetable for several other projects that are part of the efforts to revitalize the lower Manhattan business district that suffered heavily from the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. For example, he said that environmental studies will begin this summer for a new tunnel under the East River to be used as a direct rail link connecting lower Manhattan with John F. Kennedy International Airport.

The governor said the new rail line would cut 15 minutes per trip for 100,000 daily Long Island Rail Road riders. It would begin operations in 2013, he said.

He said the new tunnel was preferred over using an existing East River crossing that carries the M and R subway lines.

"It would offer the most comfortable and reliable ride," he said. "It would provide airport passengers with the long-desired one-seat ride to JFK in just 36 minutes."

His announcement about Freedom Tower affirmed that the project will go ahead, even after a federal jury ruled on Monday that the largest insurer of the World Trade Center was limited to a single payout of $877 million, not the double payment sought by the developer, Larry A. Silverstein, in his long-running legal battle.

Mr. Silverstein has waged a 29-month campaign to collect a total of $7.1 billion from about two dozen insurance companies, but court rulings have so far limited him to a maximum of $4.68 billion — and that's if he wins all of his remaining legal challenges.

These setbacks have raised questions about Mr. Silverstein's ability to complete four more office buildings around the site, even though financing is assured for Freedom Tower, and for 7 World Trade Center, which is currently under construction.

Building No. 7, the last tower lost after the 9/11 attack, is the first to be rebuilt and is currently rising from the devastated site. It is now 314 feet tall, and when completed it will reach 52 stories and 750 feet.

Mr. Pataki toured the building after his speech today.

The governor also said that a Con Edison power substation across from 7 World Trade Center is almost repaired. With the substation down since 9-11, half of downtown Manhattan's power supply had to be supplied from other areas, the governor said.

"I'm pleased to report that, by the end of this month, we will gather at 7 World Trade Center and will throw the switch that brings the substation back on line," he said.

Copyright 2004 The New York Times Company

[NYguy]

Build it, and they will come.......(Daily News)...

PR firm taking a flier as Freedom tenant

The Freedom Tower got a vote of confidence yesterday from a pair of young entrepreneurs who plan to be the building's first private-sector tenants.

Ronn Torossian and Adam Brecht committed to rent a 35,000-square-foot floor for their midtown firm 5W Public Relations at the 1,776-foot skyscraper at Ground Zero. "What happened on 9/11 was a terrible thing," Torossian, 29, told the Daily News. "We want to stand up and say we're not afraid of terrorists."

The gesture may help ease worries that developer Larry Silverstein will have trouble leasing the world's tallest building. So far, the only takers for space are the Port Authority and Gov. Pataki.

"This has a profound psychological impact. It gives us a tangible example of a private company willing to commit to a project that's still on the drawing board," said Kevin Danehy of real estate brokerage CB Richard Ellis.

[NoyokA]

It’s simple. Small companies and foreign companies will fill up the Freedom Tower like they did with the former World Trade Centers. Small companies need the exposure whereas the larger ones don’t.

I also read that a large engineering firm will take space in the WTC as well as possibly State related functions.

[billyblancoNYC]

Didn't the PA and Pataki say they would take a pretty nice chunk of space on the Freedom Tower? And it's very true, small and internationals will go there eventually.

Even if this, 7WTC, the memorial, the transit center(s) the new GS tower, and the demolition of DB is all that happens for a bit, that would still make for a great area for NYC.

[Kris]

April 29, 2004

Architects and Pastors Have Plans for New Tower

By SHEILA MUTO
Staff Reporter of The Wall Street Journal

From The Wall Street Journal Online

It seems everyone wants a say in the making of the Freedom Tower, including the 72,000 members of the American Institute of Architects and a noted televangelist.

Last month, Norman L. Koonce, chief executive of the AIA, sent a letter on behalf of the Washington-based professional group to David M. Childs, designer of the World Trade Center's Freedom Tower, asking him to plan a space that would encourage visitors to reflect on the 1,776-foot building's relationship to the nearby Statue of Liberty.

Mr. Koonce described the idea, which was approved by the group's executive committee, as a "space specifically designed to encourage reflection and contemplation, should be accessible to the public and located at a sufficient elevation for the visual connection, but not necessarily at the top of the tower." He also writes: "The AIA believes a perfect complement to both [the Freedom Tower and Statue of Liberty] would be development of a 'Symbol of Hope'" space.

The letter, printed on AIA stationary, says that "also highly supportive" of the idea is Robert H. Schuller, senior pastor at the Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove, Calif.

Mr. Schuller, best known for his nationally televised "Hour of Power," religious show and for commissioning architect Philip Johnson to design his Orange County cathedral, says he had heard of the idea "quite some time ago." He said he hadn't seen the model or any pictures of Mr. Childs' design, unveiled in December.

Mr. Schuller says it would be "pathetic, enormously pathetic," if visitors to the Tower's planned observation deck failed to notice the Statue of Liberty. Speaking of the AIA proposal, he says: "It would be a spiritually uplifting and rising above kind of an emotion that when you reach the top, there like a chapel, like a church, like a temple with nothing but the sky until the one thing you see that stands out is the Statue of Liberty."

Mr. Childs declined to comment.

Fredric M. Bell, executive director of the New York chapter of the AIA, which was not involved in the letter, called it "three pages of sincere wishful thinking in the most positive sense that there is some direct relation to the symbolism to the Statue of Liberty. And how could one be against that?"

--Alex Frangos

[RandySavage]

Does anyone else think (or has it already been discussed) that by building 2 exact replicas of the Freedom Tower, the WTC site would achieve a sort of equilibrium between the popular THINK skeletal design (the wind-farm part) and Liebskind's vision of a 1776ft.-spire and slanting roofs. It would be much cheaper to replicate the same design and the city's skyline would regain it's indomitable Twin Towers.

Now that there isn't enough insurance money to build all five planned buildings, maybe this will get serious consideration. Or maybe this has been in the back of Childs' mind all along.

[BrooklynRider]

Um.... I don't think so....

[MrShakespeare]

At a minimum, it is an interesting idea, and I have been thinking about it throughout the course of the afternoon. :)

There was a prior image posted somewhere on this site in which there was a rendering of two FTs, as a mirror image of one another, at the WTC. If I recall, it was even noted (favorably) in one of the local newspapers (I think). So, it has been discussed previously; not for the financial reasons you indicated, but rather for the monumental implication of another set of twin towers at the WTC.

I think that one likely result of the diminishing insurance-related funds is that there is an increased likelihood of a greater number of occupied floors in the first tower. It doesn't make much financial sense to have a large portion of the tower that will not generate income (from rentable space). Silverstein will definitely build the first tower, and it is in his best interest to maximize his income from the first tower so that he can leverage that income to fund the subsequent construction. Rather than arbirtrarily capping the occupied height of the tower at 70 storeys, his finances may pressure him to make higher levels of space available. That would result in a building that looks more like some of the images of Childs's earlier designs for the tower - slope of the roof notwithstanding.

Regarding the remaining buildings... While it is supposedly cheaper to build two 40 storey towers rather than one 80 storey tower, I don't know if that applies to the construction of the remaining WTC towers. First, Silverstein will want to start generating income, and limiting expenses, as quickly as possible. That will be most easily accomplished by building fewer towers quickly, rather than many towers over a relatively longer period of time. Second, nobody wants to live or work in a construction zone. The sooner construction ends, the sooner occupancy and rental-income levels begin to increase. Everybody will be happier with a shorter construction schedule: lenders, owners, and tenants. In sum, the cost of delaying the reconstruction may outweigh the relative cost of a higher second tower, as compared with multiple smaller ones, to regenerate the lost space. To get the space and income he needs, within the time frame that will be imposed upon him by his lenders, Silverstein may need to build occupied floors higher than he originally intended at the WTC.

...Granted, this assumes that a fewer number of higher towers can be built more rapidly that a greater number of shorter towers...

[MrShakespeare]

Found it! The rendering of twin FTs is on page 30 of this thread.

[billyblancoNYC]

Found it! The rendering of twin FTs is on page 30 of this thread.

Bit of a pain...

http://forums.wirednewyork.com/viewtopic.php?t=1217&postdays=0&postorder=asc&star t=435

[RandySavage]

Thanks for the link. I guess I missed that discussion. Anyway, the Twin Freedom Towers get my vote over the watered-down Libeskind master plan any day... although its not likely to happen.

Regarding redesigning the Freedom tower with more stories - I still believe that Silverstein has it in his head that floors higher than sixtieth will not be salable because of terror fears.

[TallGuy]

Twin Freedom Towers:

Looks like a giant pair of Roach Clips to me. All it needs is a big joint stuck between the two spires :wink: :wink:

[NYguy]

NY Post...

WTC'S ANGRY GENIUS

By ANDY SOLTIS

May 29, 2004 -- Architect Daniel Libeskind is threatening to sue Ground Zero developer Larry Silverstein — claiming he's owed a "genius fee" for his work on the Freedom Tower, sources told The Post yesterday.

Libeskind asked for about $1 million for his effort on the showcase building of the World Trade Center site — but Silverstein offered much less, sources said.

Libeskind's wife and business partner, Nina, sought the big bucks for his overall vision in rebuilding the trade center site, even though Libeskind wasn't the chief designer of the Freedom Tower, sources said.

"She wanted Larry to pay him a 'genius fee,' " a real-estate source said.

Libeskind's side denies asking for such a fee but said the architect should be compensated for his work on the building, for which ground will be broken on the Fourth of July.

"He did a lot of work on Freedom Tower, and he wants to get paid for it," Libeskind's lawyer, Ed Hayes, said yesterday.

Hayes added: "We've made very substantial progress today" in narrowing the difference between the two sides.

But he added, "If you can't get paid, you sue the guy."

But Silverstein, who holds the lease on the trade center site, is asking for documentation — timesheets for the architect's work on the tower.

Libeskind's side said he doesn't have the paperwork and stressed Libeskind's work on designing the overall master plan for the site, according to knowledgeable sources.

But Silverstein maintains Libeskind was already paid "many millions of dollars" for the master plan by the Lower Manhattan Development Corp.

"It would be unfair to the government and Mr. Silverstein for Mr. Libeskind to be paid twice for his Freedom Tower idea," said Howard Rubenstein, a spokesman for Silverstein.

"It is our hope that he will accept our repeated offers of mediation in order to avoid a time-consuming and expensive court battle."

The two sides are believed to be a few hundred-thousand dollars apart. Hayes predicted the dispute would be resolved "very soon."

http://www.nypost.com/photos/news05292004004a.jpg

[NYguy]

NY Observer...

Libeskinds Seek $500,000 Payment From Silverstein at Ground Zero

by Blair Golson

Ground Zero Master Planner Daniel Libeskind and his wife and business partner, Nina, claim they are owed between $550,000 and $600,000 by World Trade Center leaseholder Larry Silverstein for their architectural planning work on the Freedom Tower, the 1,776-foot high skyscraper slotted for groundbreaking at Ground Zero on July 4th of this year.

Months of negotiations, Ms. Libeskind said, have not produced an agreement on when or how much the firm she heads with her husband, Studio Daniel Libeskind, will be paid by the developer, and now the firm is considering taking legal action against Mr. Silverstein to ensure payment. A legal showdown between the master planner selected by rebuilding authorities and the developer who was charged with using insurance money to rebuild at Ground Zero could be disastrous for Mr. Silverstein, coming as it would on the heels of his unsuccessful court battle to obtain a double payout of almost $7 billion from insurers.

The origin of the present conflict appears to lie in the often cantankerous partnership between the Libeskinds and Mr. Silverstein’s architect of choice on the project, David Childs. Ms.Libeskind, reached in Ireland, said she believes Mr. Silverstein’s refusal to offer a higher figure stems from anger with the Libeskinds for being openly critical of Mr. Childs’ design proposals during their partnership. Ms. Libeskind said Mr. Silverstein has offered them around $125,000 for their work, a figure she called “almost insulting.” “I think it’s probably that he’s rapping our knuckles because of the spat,” she said. “It feels like he isn’t taking the work we did seriously and at face value.”

“I think he wants to penalize the Libeskinds because they wouldn’t help him evade his duties under the master plan,” said Ed Hayes, the lawyer representing the Libeskinds, referring to earlier disputes between the Libeskinds and Mr. Silverstein over Mr. Childs' design for the tower, which they believe violated the spirit of Mr. Libeskind's master plan.

A spokesman for Mr. Silverstein released a statement saying that he is “fully prepared to fairly compensate” the Libeskinds for their work and pointing out that efforts by Mr. Silverstein to bring the dispute into mediation have been rebuffed by the Libes kinds. “It is our hope that he will accept our repeated offers of mediation in order to avoid a time-consuming and expensive court battle,” the statement read. "We are perplexed as to why he has turned down our offers of mediation, given that he has failed to produce any industry-standard documentation of his work.”

Ms. Libeskind said she has rejected Mr. Silverstein’s overtures of mediation because the process is not done “under oath,” and the results are not binding.

Neither of those things would be the case if the two parties entered into arbitration, which Ms. Libeskind and her lawyer, Mr. Hayes, said they hoped to do. “It would be a foolish and unpleasant litigation,” said Mr. Hayes, “but stranger things have happened."

By way of example, Mr. Hayes referred to the outcome of Mr. Silverstein’s legal battle against his World Trade Center insurers, in which Mr. Silverstein sought to reap a double payment of $7 billion by claiming that the attacks on the Twin Towers constituted two separate attacks. A judge recently ruled that the majority of the insurers were only liable for single coverage—stripping Mr. Silverstein of billions in rebuilding dollars; and earlier in the trial, the judge called Mr. Silverstein “not credible,” and stopped just short of holding him contempt of court for public comments Mr. Silverstein made about the case in violation of a court-imposed gag order.

"[Mr. Silverstein] just spent $100 million in litigation where he not only got thrown out of court, but the judge basically called him a liar, and his reputation was very badly tarnished.” Mr. Hayes said he fears that Mr. Libeskind could be left unpaid if, as some Ground Zero watchers now imagine, Mr. Silverstein ends up taking a buy-out to leave the site. “My concern is that he’s going to not pay and then get bought out, and try to shift the bill to whoever buys him out,” he said.

Mr. Silverstein’s spokesman said he favors allowing an outside party to audit the Libeskind’s invoices for the project before making any kind of payment. “The involvement of an independent third party is particularly important since Mr. Libeskind has already been compensated many millions of dollars by the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation and the Port Authority for his work on the master plan. It would be unfair to the government and Mr. Silverstein for Mr. Libeskind to be paid twice for his Freedom Tower idea.”

The Libeskinds have maintained that Mr. Childs’ design for the Freedom Tower violated the spirit and the technical guidelines of the Master Plan that Mr. Libeskind had laid out for the site. As the Ground Zero leaseholder, Mr. Silverstein had the option of choosing the lead architect for the towers he was contractually obligated to rebuild after the Sept. 11 attacks. For the Freedom Tower, slated to be the iconic skyscraper that would reclaim the Manhattan skyline, he chose Mr. Childs, of the renowned white-shoe firm Skidmore, Owings and Merrill.

Mr. Libeskind, who had won the international competition to design the master plan of Ground Zero, asserted his right to have a large, if not equal, say in how the Freedom Tower should look. After weeks of heated negotiations, Mr. Childs ended up as the lead designer on the tower, and Mr. Libeskind had to settle for a supporting role.

Mr. Childs originally suggested a tower that rose to over 2,000 feet high, which was significantly taller and bulkier than the tower that Mr. Libeskind suggested.

Over the course of several months that culminated with an announcement on a final design in late December, a plan emerged for a 1776-foot tall building that had the torquing, twisted base favored by Mr. Libeskind, which was topped by an open-air lattice skeleton favored by Mr. Childs.

[Gulcrapek]

^those were both Childs's ideas.

[Kris]

June 3, 2004

BLOCKS

This Is Not a Traditional Groundbreaking

By DAVID W. DUNLAP

HOW do you break ground on ground that has already been shattered? And how do you break ground when there really is no ground to break?

With yesterday's approval of a general project plan by the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation, redevelopment of the World Trade Center site is set to go. Gov. George E. Pataki intends to lose no time, having promised a groundbreaking for the Freedom Tower a month from tomorrow, on the Fourth of July.

Anywhere else, the governor might turn over a few shovels full of dirt. But this is not just anywhere. In the eyes of many survivors, every cubic inch of stone and concrete is hallowed soil, imbued with the memory - at least - of the 2,749 people who died there.

Then there is the fact that the ground floor of the Freedom Tower is 70 feet above the trade center foundation. The intervening volume will contain a substructure with stores, truck docks, PATH tracks and parking, mechanical and storage spaces.

Add one more complication. Construction of that substructure will require tearing out the largest architectural remnant of the original complex: the ruined six-level parking garage - its columns still color-coded blue, yellow and red - that was under the United States Custom House at 6 World Trade Center.

Against the vastness of the trade center foundation, where PATH cars look to be HO scale, the jagged garage floors may not seem that big. But the structure has about 190,000 square feet of floor area, as much as there is in the Flatiron Building.

Before demolition begins, the smoke-scarred garage may serve as an imposing backdrop for the July 4 ceremony, since it now appears that the groundbreaking will occur within the foundation, on the floor of the great concrete bathtub. That plan may change but one thing about the ceremony is certain.

"It can't be traditional," Lisa Dewald Stoll, the governor's communications director, said yesterday. "I don't envision commemorative shovels."

Preparing a site for the Freedom Tower, which is being developed by Silverstein Properties, clearly exposes the tension between the officially stated goals of remembering 9/11 while rebuilding Lower Manhattan.

"This is an emotional example of striking that balance," Ms. Stoll said. "We needed to plan an event that was more than the traditional groundbreaking, with shovels and hard hats." After long discussions of many different ideas, the order of the day is still not entirely set. It is not even clear that the event will be open to the public.

"It's a challenge, to break hallowed ground," Ms. Stoll allowed.

Demolition of the garage is scheduled to begin after the groundbreaking and to be completed in December. The structure did not last this long because of its historical significance but rather because it helped brace the surrounding foundation walls.

Many remaining columns need bracing themselves and some floors are unstable, said Irene Chang, a vice president of the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation, which is working on the demolition plan with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, the Tishman Construction Corporation and Voorsanger & Associates Architects.

"What exists there now is not sufficient to support the Freedom Tower," Ms. Chang said.

Almost the entire floor slab from Level B4 will be saved because it happens to double as the ceiling over the PATH tracks. And the Port Authority has agreed to salvage at least three elements to convey something of the scope of destruction on Sept. 11, 2001. All come from the B2 level, just below the concourse.

One is Column J4/12, the bottom of which is almost unscathed and the top of which is deathly black, as is the ceiling above it, a part of which will be salvaged. Another is Column J3/10, on which paint was blistered by heat into a marbleized pattern that would almost be beautiful if the circumstances of its creation were not so awful.

The third piece to be salvaged is part of a smoke-stained wall on which the words "Yellow Parking B2," in Helvetica type, are still plainly visible.

PRESERVATIONISTS wonder what else might be worth saving or recording.

"Our position is not one of preserving the ruins of 6 World Trade Center in place," said Anthony Gardner of the Coalition of 9/11 Families, whose brother, Harvey Joseph Gardner III, died in the attack. "We're saying proper evaluations should be done and that they should take the time necessary."

"It's unfortunate," Mr. Gardner said, "that it's being driven by the need for a July 4 photo opportunity."

Last week, the Lower Manhattan Emergency Preservation Fund, which includes the World Monuments Fund, the National Trust for Historic Preservation and the New York Landmarks Conservancy, urged further evaluation and documentation of the site.

They suggested Tito Dupret, a Belgian photographer whose wraparound images of endangered architectural monuments seem to place the viewer within a sphere that can be rotated in any direction. (A digital exhibition can be seen at www.wmf.org/wht.html .) Ms. Chang said the development corporation intended to explore that possibility.

She also said the Port Authority had agreed to consider salvaging other objects as demolition proceeded, if it were "possible or meaningful" to do so. Of course, in this setting, even a blue or red garage column is freighted with meaning, particularly if it has been blackened by smoke or blistered by heat. And especially if it has survived.

Copyright 2004 The New York Times Company

[JMGarcia]

SOM put some new, very large, pics of the Freedom Tower model up on their website.

http://www.som.com/press_release/large_model/PHOTO_LOBBY.jpg

http://www.som.com/press_release/large_model/PHOTO_PLEAT.jpg

http://www.som.com/press_release/large_model/PHOTO_TORQUE.jpg

This one of the turbines is particularly interesting. You can see the very high ceiling height of the interior obs deck and restaurant floors. Its also pretty clear where the outdoor obs deck would go if there indeed is one.

http://www.som.com/press_release/large_model/PHOTO_TURBINE.jpg

[BrooklynRider]

Great pics - thanks for the links. The curtain wall looks great. I would be totally psyched for this building if not for that crap "lattice" top.

Any speculation on why a full building photo hasn't been posted? Could Childs have dumped the lame spire?

[krulltime]

Very good...Thanks!

Is funny how they have people stainding close to the building windows and not working. They are suppose to be in offices not a museum or whatever. :roll:

[NYguy]

Very good...Thanks!

Is funny how they have people stainding close to the building windows and not working. They are suppose to be in offices not a museum or whatever. :roll:


They're just enjoying the view... :shock:

[JMGarcia]

I wish they had made the cores solid. It would give a more realistic sense of the building.

[Ninjahedge]

This is interesting, the zig-zags will make good framework provided they put some steel horizontals in at story levels (where the boxes are at their corners. You need to keep it all triangles to stay stable.

It will be a very rigid building, provided there are no irregularities in the perimeter framing that might pronate the structure to torsional effects (like gravity twisting or dynamic weakness in the dorsional mode).

Those turbines still look silly. You would think they would be able to come up with a larger, more efficient standards than the classic airplane propeller.

Like maybe the same kinds of fans they have for computer cases (like Turbines...)

[TonyO]

This is from the NY1 article BigMac posted today...some news about the Freedom Tower.


“The important thing is that they collaborated together on the conceptuality of the design,” says Silverstein. “Now it's David's responsibility to actually design the Freedom Tower into a working, buildable building - which he's in the process of doing.”

Good news, could turn out quite different than what we know of it now.

[Gulcrapek]

I doubt it. There'd be more lawsuits and "misinforming the public."

[billyblancoNYC]

Well, Childs wanted 2000ft, not sure who made it "1776." Also, I think Childs will have some sway over Larry, especially if her can get more space for rent income in the tower for not too much more money (seeing as how the insurance isn't paying off quite as well as hoped). I mean, it's a $billion building. Who knows. We'll see. I think Childs knows that the response has been less than enthusiastic. Maybe the wind farms will not be "feasible" or something.

I assume that the design will change, especially if Larry is making statements like this. One can hope.

[NYguy]

The way I see it, it all comes down to how they plan to mark 1,776 ft, the big "theme" and height of the building...

[NYguy]

another felixsalmon.com opinion piece...

May 31, 2004

Libeskind and the Freedom Tower

We can officially assume now, I think, that Daniel Libeskind and the Freedom Tower are barely connected any more, let alone in any kind of one-designed-the-other relationship. My guess is that when all is said and done, the name and the location – at the north-west corner of the World Trade Center site – will be Libeskind; the rest will be David Childs.

In the time since my last WTC update, a number of crucial court decisions have gone against Larry Silverstein, the leasholder of the original towers. They were insured for about $3.5 billion, but Silverstein spent untold millions of dollars in a desperate attempt to get double the amount that the towers were insured for, saying that he should be paid out in full for each of the two attacks. In the end, he failed, and now he simply doesn't have the money to start building the spiral of skyscrapers that Libeskind imagined in his site plan. I'm sure that Normal Foster, Fumihiko Maki and Jean Nouvel – the architects slated to design the other office towers – still have some kind of contract going, but if I were them, I wouldn't be holding my breath.

What that means is that the Freedom Tower is going to be a self-standing landmark for the foreseeable future, much more than a single element in a much larger scheme. There will be lots of interesting stuff going on at ground level, of course, but as far as the skyline is concerned, the Freedom Tower is pretty much the beginning and the end of what's going to rise at the WTC site.

As a consequence, it makes little sense for Childs to compromise his own vision overmuch in the service of a greater unity which might well never happen. (Even if the other office towers do get built, there's no guarantee that their architects will pay any more obeisance to the Libeskind master plan than Childs has done.) So the sloping roof is likely to go, the height of the tower is likely to increase from Libeskind's symbolic 1,776 feet to the CAA's maximum allowable 2,000 feet, and the spire could well be jettisoned entirely.

I haven't seen any new designs which make me say this. But I have seen the news reports, and it's clear that Libeskind and Silverstein are barely on speaking terms any more. Libeskind wants $800,000 for his work on the Freedom Tower; Silverstein has offered $125,000 and clearly has no interest maintaining a good working relationship with the avant-garde architect.

The difference seems to come down, at heart, to the question of whether the Freedom Tower is an integral part of the site plan, on which, there is no doubt, Libeskind has done a lot of work. Silverstein says that it's his building, he's got his own architect, and that insofar as Libeskind did work on the tower as part of the master plan, he was compensated for it out of his $2.25 million fee from the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation.

Both the New York Post and Miss Representation are pretty dismissive of Libeskind's claims, which are backed up with no time sheets or other documentation. But I can kind of see where Libeskind is coming from: any officially-designated "collaborating architect" would feel he was owed something substantial from the building he was collaborating on, especially when that building was probably the single most important skyscraper to be built in many decades. Ultimately, however, I imagine that history will treat Libeskind's contributions to the Freedom Tower as even less important than Philip Johnson's contributions to the Seagram Building: Johnson is much more famous for designing the Four Seasons restaurant on the inside than he is for designing the building itself. Maybe Libeskind should angle for the gig as lead architect on the new Windows on the World.

[NoyokA]

As a consequence, it makes little sense for Childs to compromise his own vision overmuch in the service of a greater unity which might well never happen. (Even if the other office towers do get built, there's no guarantee that their architects will pay any more obeisance to the Libeskind master plan than Childs has done.) So the sloping roof is likely to go, the height of the tower is likely to increase from Libeskind's symbolic 1,776 feet to the CAA's maximum allowable 2,000 feet, and the spire could well be jettisoned entirely.

I haven't seen any new designs which make me say this. But I have seen the news reports, and it's clear that Libeskind and Silverstein are barely on speaking terms any more. Libeskind wants $800,000 for his work on the Freedom Tower; Silverstein has offered $125,000 and clearly has no interest maintaining a good working relationship with the avant-garde architect.

Some more encouragement that things are happening behind closed doors, for which I can only hope the best.

[NoyokA]

Maybe Libeskind should angle for the gig as lead architect on the new Windows on the World.

Frankly people are sick and tired of Libeskind's antics.

[JMGarcia]

I really do hope that Childs can save this building, and the Silverstein is willing to spend to allow him to do it, but nothing Childs has ever done has convinced me he can. On the other hand maybe he's due for a breakthrough.

[NoyokA]

Child's designs are consistently raped by their respective developers, its the very reason Child's is a leading New York architect, his udder compliance. With the WTC Child's is gang raped by Silverstein and Libeskind.

A+U is a good series that show some original designs before the devistating hand of zoning, budgets, and developers. Other sources such as monographs and buildingographies of the Bertelsmann Building and One World Wide Plaza offer some more insight. Designs are less a program than are a regime.

The designs of TXSQ Tower and Columbus Center have been raped to an almost embarrasing state.

I'm a defender of David Child's because he's a good architect, however in a large corporation such as SOM there are certain loyalties that must be paid. For the companies sake its the developers interests first and architecture follows a distant second.

JM, in answer to your question Child's is a competant architect.

[ZippyTheChimp]

his udder compliance

If your intent is symbolic sarcasm, it's hilarious.

If not, you may need this. (http://dictionary.reference.com)

:P

[JMGarcia]

Child's designs are consistently raped by their respective developers, its the very reason Child's is a leading New York architect, his udder compliance. With the WTC Child's is gang raped by Silverstein and Libeskind.

A+U is a good series that show some original designs before the devistating hand of zoning, budgets, and developers. Other sources such as monographs and buildingographies of the Bertelsmann Building and One World Wide Plaza offer some more insight. Designs are less a program than are a regime.

The designs of TXSQ Tower and Columbus Center have been raped to an almost embarrasing state.

I'm a defender of David Child's because he's a good architect, however in a large corporation such as SOM there are certain loyalties that must be paid. For the companies sake its the developers interests first and architecture follows a distant second.

JM, in answer to your question Child's is a competant architect.

Childs may well be a competent architect, but the fact he has consistently been unable to produce a building showing that talent is what worries me. Also, not my comment about "Sivlerstein allowing him" to fix it.

Compare Childs to Adrian Smith of SOM Chicago. Smith may be an inferior architect (or maybe not) but he gets better buildings built somehow. Perhaps this is Childs' failing, not his architectural creative skills.

[BigMac]

Interesting to note that, like Libeskind, Minoru Yamasaki had virtually no previous skyscraper experience.

[LuPeRcALiO]

Big Mac maybe not supertalls, but by the time he got the WTC commission Yamasaki had built highrises all over the country including Minneapolis, Seattle, and St. Louis, also airports, consulates (including one in Kobe, Japan), pavilions, and a string of campus buildings: "Minoru Yamasaki designed buildings for many universities in the midwest in what is sometimes called a modified International Style. They include the Irwin library at Butler University, Indianapolis; the Conservatory of Music and Concert Hall at Oberlin College, Oberlin, OH; many buildings at Wayne State University, Detroit; and the Medical College of Ohio, Toledo, OH. These buildings were all constructed between 1955 and 1963."

[NoyokA]

Quote:
his udder compliance


If your intent is symbolic sarcasm, it's hilarious.

If not, you may need this.

It was a misspelling.

[NoyokA]

Maybe Smith is better at maintaining design credibility with developers, but you can’t compare NYC with Chicago. SOM is a corporation, and NYC politics dictate that it cannot be an institution like Chicago. Child’s is not in the same position as Smith, he’s not even the head of the firm, Marilyn Taylor is. The art of architecture is business not art. Having seen the process secondhand, I know that if Child’s was truly given the chance he would really “wow” us all.

[NoyokA]

All of these buildings are short and bulky, foremost the developer’s desire, secondly strict zoning, and setback requirements, and keep in mind that none of these were part of Child’s design program. And that all of these finished buildings were not to Child’s vision. But with all these factors set aside, are these designs without architectural merit? If Child’s was ever given the chance to run freely with a design could he?

http://www.som.com/resources/projects/2/2/2/383_madisonsm_e16_222.jpg

http://www.som.com/resources/projects/2/2/2/383madisonsm_e5_222.jpg

http://www.som.com/resources/projects/2/1/6/wwexterior_353.jpg

http://www.som.com/resources/projects/2/1/6/worldwideplaza_352.jpg

http://www.som.com/resources/projects/3/8/4/450lex1a_1327.jpg

http://www.som.com/resources/projects/3/8/4/450lexnitee4_1331.jpg

http://www.som.com/resources/projects/2/1/8/twcbday12mar_363.jpg

Also keep in mind, that where Smith has, Child’s has never been given the chance to build over that “750 foot” canopy. Smith is known almost exclusively for his supertall, expensive, ego, buildings. ATT, Jin Mao, TTC, Dearborn Tower, Child’s is still yet to have his chance.

[JMGarcia]

Interestingly, the best buildings in your pics (Bear Stearns and World Wide Plaza) both had input from Adrian Smith on the massing, facade, and pinnacle elements. Bear Stearns was especially displeased with Childs' design before Smith's modifications.

Time Warner is at best a "good" building and nowhere meets even its own renderings. The massing is awkward and the crowns are a let down, especially with the detailing on only 2 sides instead of 4. The highly touted facade is also nowhere near what it was claimed to be or could have been.

Again, Childs may indeed be a great talent (I can't say for sure) but he has not been able to translate that talent to actual buildings.

I do indeed hope that he can manage to save the Freedom Tower from its awkwardness but am somewhat dubious at this point.

[NoyokA]

Interestingly, the best buildings in your pics (Bear Stearns and World Wide Plaza) both had input from Adrian Smith on the massing, facade, and pinnacle elements. Bear Stearns was especially displeased with Childs' design before Smith's modifications.

That's 100% false. That's a rumour made without backing by those who like to discredit Child's.


Time Warner is at best a "good" building and nowhere meets even its own renderings. The massing is awkward and the crowns are a let down, especially with the detailing on only 2 sides instead of 4. The highly touted facade is also nowhere near what it was claimed to be or could have been.

Again, Childs may indeed be a great talent (I can't say for sure) but he has not been able to translate that talent to actual buildings.

It nowhere meets Child's own vision for the building. For the building envelope it's a good building. Child's himself grade's it as a B- Building, for what he was up against, he is far too modest.

[NoyokA]

Time Warner is at best a "good" building and nowhere meets even its own renderings. The massing is awkward and the crowns are a let down, especially with the detailing on only 2 sides instead of 4. The highly touted facade is also nowhere near what it was claimed to be or could have been.

Again, your criticism is wrongly directed. Blame stingy developers and a budget, not Child's.

[JMGarcia]

I do blame stingy developers for 90% of this. But I also blame Childs' inability to come up with better buildings within those constraints.

Again, I am not criticizing Childs' architectural talent and am giving him the benefit of the doubt. But the facts are he has been entirely unsuccesful in getting building of the quality of Smith's built, not to mention Foster, Meier, Pelli or a host of others.

I have read interviews with Adrian Smith where he himself has talked about his contributions to Bear Stearns and World Wide Plaza in Architectural Record.

I do not consider that rumor and certainly not 100% false.

To me, 7 WTC is the perfect Childs' building, simple, understated and hopefully elegant when done but not a standout or landmark. Again, I hope he is able to stretch himself and bring Silverstein along to make the Freedom Tower better than its current design.

[NoyokA]

Again, I am not criticizing Childs' architectural talent and am giving him the benefit of the doubt. But the facts are he has been entirely unsuccesful in getting building of the quality of Smith's built, not to mention Foster, Meier, Pelli or a host of others.

What you don't understand is if a developer wanted a Foster, Meier, Pelli, building he would go out and get a Foster, Meier or Pelli.

Your not going to get an A-List building without an A-List developer, contrary to the A-List architect. Child's is a leading architect for his cost-effectiveness and his ability to bend over backwards to get things done. You don't hire Child's for a good building, that's not to discredit him as an architect, he is a good architect, however he is not used as one. Again you want a Gehry building, you go out and get Ghery, that goes without saying it takes a very special developer. You want a cost effecient building program you dont get the architect Childs, you get the corporate whore.

Child's is in a difficult position, on one hand he can go out on his own and set up practice, and put into practice, but when you work for a company such as SOM as long as he has, you have to pay certain respects.

[NoyokA]

I would also like to go on record to say that I am not a big fan of any of David Child’s buildings; additionally I am not a fan of the Freedom Tower. However I am a defender of David Child’s the architect. If there was a developer that gave Child’s artistic freedom, you would see what I’m saying. But if there was such a developer, why would he go with Child’s, when there’s Gehry and the likes with big name recognition?

[JMGarcia]

I guess my point is that Childs' has made himself a corporate whore, as you say, irrespective of his architectural talent.

So I guess that leaves us with the question of why Silverstein chose and then forced Childs' on everyone. Doesn't sound promising to me.

Still hoping to be pleasantly surprised though.

[BrooklynRider]

So I guess that leaves us with the question of why Silverstein chose and then forced Childs' on everyone. Doesn't sound promising to me.


But, I think both you and Stern really put forth the reasoning behind Silverstein choosing Childs in your discourse (which was a brilliant read - thanks!) Silverstein is looking purely at return on investment. It is clear he has no interest in creating a new New York icon on the skyline. He uses "height" as an iconographic measure. A tall building might be an icon - and, personally, I think Childs' pre-Liebskind interference 2.000ft - flat topped building was a serious icon - especially with the propsed curtain wall. However, this colander in the sky is just unispired nonsense. I accept that my view might be way, way off, but I can't imagine any architect being satisfied with cutting their building off diagonally, halfway to the pinnacle and replacing it with industrial macrame.

Thus, my two cents are given.

[JMGarcia]

I didn't realize Childs ever proposed a 2000 foot curtain wall. What I have seen of his original was 975 feet of flat top building with 1025 feet of cables and antenna around 2 cores.

[NoyokA]

I didn't realize Childs ever proposed a 2000 foot curtain wall. What I have seen of his original was 975 feet of flat top building with 1025 feet of cables and antenna around 2 cores.

Exactly what I was saying. Child's never proposed a 2000 foot curtain wall, however if he could he would. And with Child's sculpted twisting tower, how sweet would that look at 2000 feet? I think if I were Child's I would design for the modifications, because once they're made they are devistating. It was Silverstein's mandate, not Child's desire to cut the tower portion in half. Silverstein's alterations to Child's design resulted in a compromise building, than couple that with a Libeskind compromise, and voila you have the Freedom Tower.

[BrooklynRider]

There were a series of photos of the metamorphasis of the building. I am nearly certain I saw a 2,000ft tower - base to roof. It was torqued, but had no spire. It was allegedly where Childs was going with FT before Liebskind had his famous hissy fit.

Anybody have a definitive answer on this. My memory has been known to be defective at times.

[JMGarcia]

I remember those pics from the Skyscraper Museum. I believe it was a massing model and didn't show Childs/Silverstein's plans for the ratio of office to cables.

I can't believe that Childs, working for Silverstein, ever proposed an enclosed area that tall.

Although I agree that the torqued massing model made for a good looking building, quite like SWFC.

[NoyokA]

http://www.pbase.com/image/27581964/large.jpg

Jm is right though. Only 975 feet would be occupied, a mandate by Silverstein, not Child's. You can see why people would criticize Child's though. People would automatically assume Child’s was responsible for the half tower, when that is in fact any further from the truth. Evident of the model, Child's liked the 2,000 sheer feet much more, he was not very fond of the lattice, and as a result he chose to exclude it in its entirety.

[NoyokA]

It’s also important to note why Child’s is the leading architect. It’s the fact that Child’s can be controlled; most any other architect would have already worked out on the job by now, or have had made a big stink like Libeskind.

[JMGarcia]

Actually, the shape of any of the "solids" in that pic are quite good. It shows how the break from building to cables ruins the design somewhat.

It would almost be better if it was all cables IMO.

But, in any case, I would hope that Childs realizes the break from building to cables is a problem and redesign accordingly but apparrently not. :(

[Jasonik]

The 2000' KPF proposal: (with lattice top?)
http://www.nymetro.com/images/news/02/09/wtc/wtc_7architects/pederson1_420.jpg
http://www.nymetro.com/images/news/02/09/wtc/wtc_7architects/pederson2_420.jpg

[MrShakespeare]

NYGuy had posted that photo of the evolution of Childs' tower here:
http://forums.wirednewyork.com/viewtopic.php?t=1217&postdays=0&postorder=asc&star t=810

- Included in his post is a chart describing the various heights of the building.

An additional two cents in our collective bank:
Childs' original idea will prevail over Libeskind's "plan". I think that Silverstein's 70 storey limit will be removed before the final plans are unveiled, and we will see a 1WTC much more in line with the solid structures displayed in the photo. I hope so, anyway. Options one and three are excellent.... I would lease space in such a building!

Was there an observation deck proposed on top of the 2000 foot model?

[NoyokA]

An additional two cents in our collective bank:
Childs' original idea will prevail over Libeskind's "plan". I think that Silverstein's 70 storey limit will be removed before the final plans are unveiled, and we will see a 1WTC much more in line with the solid structures displayed in the photo. I hope so, anyway. Options one and three are excellent.... I would lease space in such a building!

Was there an observation deck proposed on top of the 2000 foot model?

With the 2000 foot version there was to be an observation deck at 1776 feet.

[JMGarcia]

NYGuy had posted that photo of the evolution of Childs' tower here:
http://forums.wirednewyork.com/viewtopic.php?t=1217&postdays=0&postorder=asc&star t=810

- Included in his post is a chart describing the various heights of the building.

An additional two cents in our collective bank:
Childs' original idea will prevail over Libeskind's "plan". I think that Silverstein's 70 storey limit will be removed before the final plans are unveiled, and we will see a 1WTC much more in line with the solid structures displayed in the photo. I hope so, anyway. Options one and three are excellent.... I would lease space in such a building!

Was there an observation deck proposed on top of the 2000 foot model?

I'd love to see Silverstein lift his 70 story height limit, but considering that everything the tower currently is and all the planning done has been dictated by the height limit, including the necessity of 5 office towers, I can't see it happening at this very late date.

[NoyokA]

I'd love to see Silverstein lift his 70 story height limit, but considering that everything the tower currently is and all the planning done has been dictated by the height limit, including the necessity of 5 office towers, I can't see it happening at this very late date.

I'd say there's a possibility since the development parcels for the 5 office towers might be auctioned off to a wholly different developer in lieu of Silverstein lost insurance case.

[NoyokA]

Wouldn’t that be something if TTT or another farsighted group or developer either influences or decides to build tall, completely disregarding Silverstein’s 70 storey limit.

[billyblancoNYC]

NYGuy had posted that photo of the evolution of Childs' tower here:
http://forums.wirednewyork.com/viewtopic.php?t=1217&postdays=0&postorder=asc&star t=810

- Included in his post is a chart describing the various heights of the building.

An additional two cents in our collective bank:
Childs' original idea will prevail over Libeskind's "plan". I think that Silverstein's 70 storey limit will be removed before the final plans are unveiled, and we will see a 1WTC much more in line with the solid structures displayed in the photo. I hope so, anyway. Options one and three are excellent.... I would lease space in such a building!

Was there an observation deck proposed on top of the 2000 foot model?

I'd love to see Silverstein lift his 70 story height limit, but considering that everything the tower currently is and all the planning done has been dictated by the height limit, including the necessity of 5 office towers, I can't see it happening at this very late date.

You never know. The lack of $7billion dollars might change his tune somewhat.

[JMGarcia]

On the other hand it may make him even more conservative and start to cut corners. ;)

It'd be more than nice if he did though.

[krulltime]

http://www.nymetro.com/images/news/02/09/wtc/wtc_7architects/pederson2_420.jpg

What tha hell is that bridge going to the water for anyway? I never heard about that before? was it suppose to connect to the statue of liberty island or something. :?

[NoyokA]

What tha hell is that bridge going to the water for anyway? I never heard about that before? was it suppose to connect to the statue of liberty island or something.

It's a giant walkway that would have turned into a pier. It certainly is creative and would've offered terrific views of the city. What an expierence, but pointless, right? No. Beneath the walkway is about 8 million square feet of Office Space.

[NewYorkYankee]

What tha hell is that bridge going to the water for anyway? I never heard about that before? was it suppose to connect to the statue of liberty island or something.

It's a giant walkway that would have turned into a pier. It certainly is creative and would've offered terrific views of the city. What an expierence, but pointless, right? No. Beneath the walkway is about 8 million square feet of Office Space.

I think it's ugly

[billyblancoNYC]

I always liked that tower and walkway concept. Oh well, too "radical" I suppose.

[PHLguy]

Wow that 2000' Thingy is awesome :shock: !


I have faith that Freedom Tower will be a great building once it comes out on July 4th :D

[PHLguy]

About the 5 towers, The inscurance setback may just convince him to build less, I think 3 or four towers would work out better.


Hopefully the office section in the final tower (The lattice is likely to go all the way to 2000 now that libeskind is out of the picture) will be higher. Childs will most likely take away the sloped roof but hopefully it will be significantly more than 1000'. Respectivly half lattice and half building would be a trainwreck IMO. :?

[NYguy]

I've been reading the LMDC website regarding developments of the Freedom Tower. I'm sure its not the most updated information, and probably not worded accurately, but make what you will of it:



In terms of public exposure, in general, there would be a significant distance between the broadcast antenna and any publicly accessible locations (i.e., the highest location in Freedom Tower where the public would have access would be the observation deck at approximately 1,365 feet, and the broadcast antenna would extend from elevation 1,500 feet to elevation 1,776 feet). RFEMF levels sould decrease rapidly with distance. Consequently, RFEMF levels at publicly accessible locations would be expected to be relatively low. In terms of worker exposure, protective gear and other measures would be taken to ensure that workers servicing and maintining this equipment are not exposed to levels which would exceed applicable regulations or pose potential adverse health effects.

A little more (from the GEIS):


Freedom Tower would be the visual landmark of the Proposed Action in New York City's skyline. It would have approximately 70 floors of office, mechanical, and functional space. A viewing platform would be located atop the building and above that would be a broadcast tower at 1,776 ft. The viewing platform and the broadcast tower would replace those lost on September 11. Current plans call for the top of the structure: in the open area below the platform there will be the base for broadcast towers, to include an array of wind turbines. The buildings and the shape of the Freedom Tower are expected to allow the turbines to generate a significant amount of electricity to contribute to the buildin's power demands. This is an innovative application of an emerging technology, and the design, configuration, and power yield of the turbines are currently being studied by Silverstein Properties.

It's also mentions that other towers on the WTC site could also be topped with broadcast equipment.

[JMGarcia]

Yeah, I had read those a few months ago. Interesting about the obs deck. I wonder if that is the height of the cores.

[PHLguy]

That can't be true, The cores Terminate at 1430 feet, So is the deck below the cores?


Plus articles said the deck would be at 1500'


Libeskinds OLD verision had a deck there but he's gona and Childs is completely redesigning the tower...

[NYguy]

That's not the current information. I posted both quotes because they contradicted each other. So you see, the thing is still in development (as far as the website is concerned). At least they don't still have the deck at 1,776 ft. Wouldn't it be ironic it that turned out to be the case?

[Christopher X]

Only 18 days until groundbreaking. Does anybody have any idea when we'll see what they intend to build? I know they have shown parts on the SOM press link but not where all the big issues are-the top. Will they wait until D-day to show?

And did I dream that they said they were bringing in a sculpture to work on the spire and adjacent structure after they did their "unveiling"???

[PHLguy]

I have a large fear it's gonna suck :(

[BPC]

Only 18 days until groundbreaking. Does anybody have any idea when we'll see what they intend to build? I know they have shown parts on the SOM press link but not where all the big issues are-the top. Will they wait until D-day to show?

According to an article in the Times from a month or so ago, the so-called "groundbreaking" is actually just the process by which Silverstein's crew will start dismantling the remains of the old WTC parking garage, which sits, largely undisturbed, on the FT site. The actual construction of the building won't begin for a while. Thus, there is still plenty of time for Childs et al to tinker with the design, if they want to.

[NewYorkYankee]

Only 18 days until groundbreaking. Does anybody have any idea when we'll see what they intend to build? I know they have shown parts on the SOM press link but not where all the big issues are-the top. Will they wait until D-day to show?

According to an article in the Times from a month or so ago, the so-called "groundbreaking" is actually just the process by which Silverstein's crew will start dismantling the remains of the old WTC parking garage, which sits, largely undisturbed, on the FT site. The actual construction of the building won't begin for a while. Thus, there is still plenty of time for Childs et al to tinker with the design, if they want to.

Thats total BS, we've waited long enough, they near to get their asses in gear and build.

[JMGarcia]

The normal engineering and design timeline for a building of this magnituted would normally be a couple of years. So it wouldn't surprise me if it wasn't completely spec'ed out by July 4th.

I will be extremely disappointed if we don't get new renderings though.

[NYguy]

(From the WTC redevelopment GEIS)

Project Schedule

For the purposes of impact assessment, and in the absence of a formal construction plan, a conceptual construction schedule has been developed for all construction activities on the Project Site.

Most construction activities are expected to commence in September 2004. Prior to any major construction commencing on site, a comprehensive program of utility relocation would be undertaken that would require removal of the street surfaces on Church, Vesey, and Liberty STreets and Broadway.

By the end of 2005, the full build out of the sub-grade space of the site would have commenced; this would involve the construction of sub-grade retail, concourse, and utility space in all areas of the site except the area beneath the temporary PATH concourse (which would be excavated following the construction of an alternative temporary exit to Church Street for PATH passengers). As part of this work, the foundations and core of the Freedom Tower would be constructed early. For the purposes of impact assessment, it is assumed that the building would be built using a rapid floor-to-floor cycle and that interior fit-out may lag well behind installation of the structural steel. The topping out of the Freedom Tower up to the 70th floor, exclusive of the iconic top, is anticipated in the 3rd quarter of 2006. Approximately in mid-2006, the fit-out and istallation of the curtain wall for the Freedom Tower would commence.


High-rise Office Tower Construction

The Proposed Action includes the construction of five high-rise commercial office towers that would reinstate over 10 million square feet of office space on the Project Site. Of particular relevance to this analysis would be the construction of the Freedom Tower, as schedule constraints would require this building to be constructed at an accelerated pace. As such, this discussion would make reference to this structure.

It is expected that the towers would be founded directly on to rock and that piled foundations would not be used. Dependent upon the final structural design, rock anchor bolts may or may not be used to provide lateral stability to the core and external columns. Rock anchor bolts are installed with a drilling rig that embeds a permanent anchor deep into the rock strata. As the base of the excavation is cleared, large spread concrete footings are constructed to support the base of the external and core columns.

It is expected that the primary structure of the building would be comprised of structural steel columns and beams, with in-fill concrete floors. The core (the structural spine of the building that usually encases the elevator shafts, mechanical, HVAC, and other services) would be constructed of reinforced concrete. In high-rise construction, the installation of the structural steel precedes the pouring of the concrete floors by six to eight floors. It is anticipated that these would be installed in tiers of approximately two stories. The sequence of construction below the structural steel erection level is anticipated as follows:

1. Two to four floors below the point of initial erection, the building structure would be plumbed, bolted and metal deck pourstops and shear studs installed;

2. Five to six floors below - concrete on metal deck floors would be placed;

3. Seven to eight floors below - the reinforced concrete core would be placed;

4. Nine to 10 floors below - concrete slabs within core structure (elevator landings etc.) would be placed;

5. 11 to 12 floors below - spray-on fireproofing would be installed; and

6. 13 to 14 floors below - curtain wall installation and fit-out would commence. Note: due to concerns regarding axial deflection of the strcture due to its self-weight, this activity may be delayed by as much as 20 floors (four months minimum).

This process is repeated up to the top of the building including the roof deck. After each concrete floor is poured, work would be started on the underside of the deck. This would include the installation of hangers for and the hanging of HVAC ductwork, piping, plumbing, fireprotection, electrical condits and other above ceiling systems as well as systems that penetrate floor to floor. At the same time, the operations stairs platforms and concrete block wall enclosures would be constructed.

In typical high-rise construction, the installation of the pre-fabricated curtain wall would lag about three months behing the pouring of the floor decks. In the case of the construction of the Freedom Tower, this activity may be delayed due to the schedule considerations that place priority on completion of the structural steel, and due to structural considerations related to the axial deflection of the steel fram due to the building's self-weight. After the curtain wall is connected to the structure, the fit out of the interior systems and architectural installation would commence.

If construction were to be accomplished on a fast track basis it is anticipated that two sets of two construction passenger elevators, two construction freight elevators and four tower cranes would be utilized. During the first 14 months of construction, it is expected that the tower cranes would be constantly employed erectiing structural steel. Structural steel would be delivered to the Project Site and either immediately hoisted and installed, or stored temporarily on site until needed.

Freedom Tower Construction Phasing

2nd quarter 2005 - 3rd quarter 2006.......Freedom Tower structural framing
2nd quarter 2006 - 3rd quarter 2008.......Freedom Tower fitout and curtain wall

[NoyokA]

That's really bizarre, it will take 2 years untill the facade even starts. The complete 70 storey structure will just stand there, looming without a single spandrel or window.

[NewYorkYankee]

The freedom tower is only going to be 70 stories? What happened to the tallest in not only NYC but the world? :( :?

[TonyO]

The freedom tower is only going to be 70 stories? What happened to the tallest in not only NYC but the world? :( :?

Haven't you heard the news? That's how we define World's Tallest Building now...at least until someone comes to their senses.

[JMGarcia]

I didn't realize the LMDC was supposed to be running a wet jock-stap contest. ;)

[Kris]

June 20, 2004

From 20-Ton Granite Block, Freedom Tower Will Rise

By DAVID W. DUNLAP

Rather than breaking already broken ground at the World Trade Center site on July 4, Gov. George E. Pataki will instead preside as a cornerstone is laid for Freedom Tower - more than 20 tons of garnet-flecked granite from the Adirondacks.

As the tower rises atop this five-foot-high block at its southeast corner, the stone will disappear from view, finally to be obscured entirely by the underground structure filling the 70-foot-deep foundation. But it is not likely to be forgotten there.

"The cornerstone will serve as a reminder for years to come that we marked this July Fourth with a tribute to our city's resolve and rebirth," said Lynn Rasic, a spokeswoman for the governor. "It's truly fitting that this cornerstone will be made out of New York stone because this is the bedrock of New York City's future."

That rock traveled some 200 miles last week from upstate to the yard and factory of Innovative Stone Inc. in Hauppauge, on Long Island, where it is being cut, honed, polished and inscribed. Then it will be trucked into Lower Manhattan.

(The exact text of the inscription is not yet decided, Ms. Rasic said.)

The stone is a mix of black and gray, from feldspar and hornblende; pale green and white, from quartz and also from feldspar; and brownish red, from deposits of garnet as large as a half-dollar coin, said Karen Pearse, the founder and chief executive of Innovative Stone. When the sun hits the garnet facets, she said, "It's dazzling."

This particular granite, which Ms. Pearse has named the "Freedom Stone," was chosen in part because garnet is the official gem of New York State.

The block will sit atop a 14-by-16-foot foundation of concrete and steel bars at the base of Freedom Tower, which will be the tallest and most symbol-laden of the six office buildings planned on and around the trade center site.

"It's literally the first piece of the foundation of the building," said Janno Lieber, the trade center project director for Silverstein Properties, the developers of Freedom Tower and 7 World Trade Center, which is already under construction across Vesey Street.

Last month, Governor Pataki ended a speech on Lower Manhattan with a rhetorical flourish. "On July Fourth, as fireworks burst in the sky - ephemeral reminders of our liberty - we will begin to reclaim our skyline with a permanent symbol of our freedom," he said. "On July Fourth, 2004, we will break ground on the Freedom Tower."

But the sanctity and rawness of that ground, where the incision of a ceremonial spade would have been regarded by some as the reopening of an awful wound or the desecration of a cemetery, compelled state officials to devise another kind of ceremony.

"With some persistence and hard work," Ms. Rasic, the governor's spokeswoman, said, "the builders are going to be able to prep the site in time to lay the cornerstone."

Innovative Stone was chosen by David Worsley of Silverstein, who worked with Ms. Pearse on the Time Warner Center at Columbus Circle when he was at the Related Companies. Innovative donated the granite block, worth about $14,000, which weighed 24 tons when it was quarried and measured 67 by 119 by 47 inches.

"This is the opportunity of a lifetime," Ms. Pearse said in a telephone interview on Friday. "I've done many projects all over the world, but nothing comes close to the significance of being able to donate this block."

The 23-year-old company, formerly Innovative Marble and Tile, has installed stonework in the Henri Bendel store and the Essex House Hotel in Manhattan, and in the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas. It supplies granite countertops to Home Depot stores.

The paradox is not lost on Ms. Pearse that her most important commission will one day be the least visible. She does not sound at all troubled by that.

"For us," she said, "it will live on forever."

Copyright 2004 The New York Times Company

[NoyokA]

This particular granite, which Ms. Pearse has named the "Freedom Stone," was chosen in part because garnet is the official gem of New York State.

LOL! Freedom stone. And that's probably now the official name of the stone too.

On a sidenote if there are infact design changes that go against the Libeskind plan, would Child's be bold enough to release them on ground breaking?

[Kris]

http://www.nygarnet.com/NEW%20YORK%20GARNET%20FACETED%20GEMSTONES_files/IG497-1.jpe

Found at the Barton Mine in North River, Warren County, New York. This garnet, the official New York State stone, is a solid solution of pyrope-almandite-grossularite that results in a pleasant deep reddish material which often has an orange cast. This is the hardest garnet in the world only found in this one location.

www.nygarnet.com

[TonyO]

FYI: "A Conversation with David Childs" - Architect David Childs designs the Freedom Tower at the World Trade Center site. Sunday June 27, 7-8PM, The History Channel (ch. 17 NY-TWC)

[BigMac]

Thanks for that information. A description from The History Channel (http://www.historychannel.com/global/listings/series_showcase.jsp?EGrpType=Series&Id=10271063&Ne twCode=THC):

A Conversation with David Childs

Roger Mudd sits down with David Childs, lead design partner with Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill, one of America's top architectural firms. Childs is in charge of designing the world's tallest--and perhaps most controversial--building, The Freedom Tower at the World Trade Center site. Childs, whose career includes working on public projects like the Washington Mall, and in New York, where his modernist skyscrapers include the Time-Warner Center, reflects on the intersection of politics and architecture.

[BrooklynRider]

Hmmm. NY1 is conducting an interview with Daniel Liebskind on tonight's "NY Tonight Program" at 8PM, where he will discuss the evolution of Freedom Tower.

[NYguy]

FYI: "A Conversation with David Childs" - Architect David Childs designs the Freedom Tower at the World Trade Center site. Sunday June 27, 7-8PM, The History Channel (ch. 17 NY-TWC)

I wonder what are the chances that we could see a final version of the Freedom Tower....

[TonyO]

I'd guess that chances of that are slim, else there would be some more hype about the show. Maybe there will be some hints.

[JMGarcia]

Given the turn around time for production and scheduling of such a show on the History Channel (its not run like a news channel) I'd guess it was made at least 45-60 days ago.

[JMGarcia]

Did anyone see Libeskind on TV btw? I was wondering what he had to say about his current position in this whole thing.

[Jasonik]

http://image.guardian.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/gallery/2002/06/28/mcphee_building1.jpg
I hate lattice!

[JMGarcia]

http://image.guardian.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/gallery/2002/06/28/mcphee_building1.jpg
I hate lattice!

Maybe he just said that to please the few rebuilders left. ;)

[NYatKNIGHT]

I heard him on NPR today - he denies that he is being pushed out. He acknowledges that he's had to fight for everything, but insists that the basic features of his overall plan and Freedom Tower are still intact.

[NYguy]

Given the turn around time for production and scheduling of such a show on the History Channel (its not run like a news channel) I'd guess it was made at least 45-60 days ago.

True, but the tower could have been completed before then. No leaks like the last time we were treated to an unveiling. Then again, the tower could still be in design (the upper parts). We'll just have to see. At least we know the foundation is underway...

(Newsday)

Granite cornerstone to set Freedom Tower foundation

By FRANK ELTMAN
June 24, 2004

HAUPPAUGE, N.Y. -- The cornerstone of the new Freedom Tower at the World Trade Center site will be a 20-ton slab of New York granite that will become the first piece of the skyscraper's foundation, Gov. George E. Pataki announced Thursday.

The laying of the garnet-flecked stone from the Adirondack Mountains on July 4 will be the highlight of the scheduled groundbreaking ceremony for the 1,776-foot Freedom Tower. Pataki, who had announced last month that crews would "break ground" for the tower, decided the occasion called for a more symbolic beginning to rebuilding at the 16-acre site.

The governor, celebrating his 59th birthday Thursday, visited about 65 workers of Innovative Stone, the company that is polishing the stone and preparing an undisclosed inscription for it.

"The fact that the Freedom Tower will have as its cornerstone New York granite from the Adirondack Mountains with New York garnet, the gemstone of New York, flecked throughout it, and that it is being finished and inscribed here in New York by New Yorkers I think is important," Pataki said in front of the stone, which sat on a flatbed truck in a storage yard in back of the Long Island plant.

Lynn Rasic, a spokeswoman for the governor, said Pataki had wanted to make the groundbreaking more about renewal and the city's resoluteness.

The stone will be shipped to lower Manhattan sometime next week. Although officials had said construction wouldn't begin before July 4, workers at the site began pouring concrete last week to lay the foundation for the cornerstone, state officials said.

The cornerstone will be set in place at the southeastern corner of the 70-foot deep foundation, said Steve Coleman, a spokesman for the Port Authority of New Jersey, which owns the site.

The stone will eventually disappear from view as the building is constructed.

Innovative Stone, which has installed marble and other stone in the new Time Warner Building at Columbus Circle and at the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas, is donating its work on the project, reshaping the rectangular stone, buffing and inscribing it.

State officials said they had not yet decided what the inscription will say and do not plan to make it public until July 4.


posted at skyscraperpage forum

http://www.newsday.com/media/photo/2004-06/13158422.jpg

[James Kovata]

Is there any expectation that a more "final" design will be released soon?

[Jeffreyny]

Will construction begin on July 5 then? I'm a bit confused as to when it will start.

[NYguy]

Will construction begin on July 5 then? I'm a bit confused as to when it will start.

I guess you could say that construction has already begun...


Although officials had said construction wouldn't begin before July 4, workers at the site began pouring concrete last week to lay the foundation for the cornerstone, state officials said.

[NYguy]

I'm hoping Childs at least gives us some informative information
on the Freedom Tower...

http://www.pbase.com/image/30562039/original.jpg

[Jeffreyny]

You know I hate to be negative about the Freedom Tower but for such a major symbol I don't think it's very creative!
I was looking at Skyscaperpage.com and there are some real rivals in Asia.
Hong Kong, Singapore and many midsize Chinese cities have buildings more interesting than the Freedom Tower. I love it's height but the design itself is too conservative.
It will be nice though to have something to balance the ruined downtown skyline though.

[krulltime]

I think it will look good. I do think that the other rivals as you mention have much better skyscrapers...but hey, what can we do... it is too late to change anything. I want to see it go up as soon as possible. :wink:

Maybe it will grow more on me when I see it finish.

[Jeffreyny]

yes maybe the final result will be better than the models. Let's hope so.
Just seems a bit boring..quite frankly!
I want it to go up too asap...i'm tired of looking at a damaged skyline!
I remember before all of the design phases, etc...
I'd read that they wanted it to be so creative and great that it would be the "8th world wonder"!!
It's definitely a far cry from that. Looks like just another construction project to me.

[BigMac]

NY1 News
June 24, 2004

Cornerstone For Freedom Tower To Come From The Adirondacks

http://www.ny1.com/Content/images/live/64/126599.jpg

A 20-ton slab of stone from the Adirondacks will be the cornerstone of the new Freedom Tower at the World Trade Center site.

The cornerstone will become the first piece of the skyscraper's foundation when ground is broken on July 4th.

Governor George Pataki got a good look at the granite Thursday when he toured the Long Island facility where the cornerstone is being prepared.

“As we think of that tower that's going to soar 1,776 feet high - a symbol of our freedom, a symbol of our confidence that New York is not just coming back, but we're going to transcend and get beyond where were on September 11 - it will be based on granite from New York, carved and crafted by New Yorkers,” said Pataki.

The cornerstone will be set in place at the southeastern corner of the 70-foot deep foundation, then eventually disappear from view as the building is constructed.

The stone will be shipped to Lower Manhattan sometime next week.

Copyright © 2004 NY1 News

[Jasonik]

The last two articles about the cornerstone fail to mention the name of the granite variety..."Freedom Stone"... :roll:

[Kris]

Originally posted by MrShakespeare.


Interior Design

Tuesday, June 1, 2004

Volume 75, Issue 8

Departments - Crosslines

Freedom fighter; With New York's Freedom Tower, Guy Battle sets out to restore hope—and the environment

by Anna Holtzman

For those who know him, Guy Battle is a superhero, out to defend the universe against evil. In 1993, the British engineer joined forces with fellow engineer Christopher McCarthy to found Battle McCarthy Consulting Engineers & Landscape Architects, an interdisciplinary practice committed to making the built environment more sustainable. Based in London, Battle McCarthy is currently working with Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates on the proposed football stadium for the New York Jets as well as with Perkins & Will on a courthouse in Los Angeles. First on the agenda, however, is Skidmore, Owings & Merrill's symbolic Freedom Tower, scheduled to break ground July 4 at New York's World Trade Center site—regardless of the myriad controversies swirling around it.

It's the swirling of the wind that most interests Battle. He's creating the entire sustainability strategy for this much-anticipated project, its "green" focal point being a forest of energy-harvesting turbines at the tower's 1,776-foot-tall pinnacle.

How did you approach the Freedom Tower project?

Since towers are traditionally seen as degrading a city, we thought, How do we design one that's in fact beneficial to the city and the environment? The ultimate goal is to produce more energy than the tower needs, collect more rainwater than it needs, and even process waste—its own and the city's.

Where did the idea for the wind turbines come from?

Before the turbine came the twist. There are strong structural reasons why the building twists, but the twist actually improves quality of life and the environment as well.

The tower is a sort of diamond shape, with the point facing toward the northwest, where most of New York's winds come from. Wind goes around the building as opposed to down a flat face. This way, there isn't so much draft around the base at the pedestrian level, which was an issue with the twin towers. Also, because the building twists up and around, and its broad side is facing into the wind, it has the highest potential for collecting energy. There's a rectangular fin at the top—that's where we'll put the turbines.

How much energy do they produce?

The turbines provide the base energy load for the building, anywhere between 10 and 20 percent. If every tenant goes for the lowest-energy solution, the turbines have the potential for producing up to 50 percent of energy used.

Is the U.S. still behind Europe in terms of green design?

It has been in the past, but we've noticed that sustainable agendas are being taken much more seriously in the States over the past year. Especially in New York State. Governor Pataki has been fundamental in pushing the environmental agenda and the new energy code, which is excellent and demanding.

Why has interest grown?

In New York, the Freedom Tower has set up a great debate about reliance on imported oil and got the developers to think about sustainability issues. LEED also seems to be making an impact, and ironically—perhaps because of the U.S. government stance against the environmental protocols established at the 1997 Kyoto conference—many architects and developers have decided to take matters into their own hands.

Is all this creating more work for you stateside?

Yes, without a doubt. It's important to find developers who are truly serious about sustainability. Luckily for us, both Silverstein Properties and SOM partner David Childs have been more than open to green discussions. As with any great design, it's very much a partnership.

What's on your agenda for the future?

We're on a mission to save the world from global warming and self-destruction! Our goal is to push architects and developers to build structures that are truly sustainable in the largest sense. We do have a long way to go, and it's step by step, but the Freedom Tower is a big step. It's sure to have a massive impact on the market—in this city, this country, and the world.

[Johnnyboy]

You know I hate to be negative about the Freedom Tower but for such a major symbol I don't think it's very creative!
I was looking at Skyscaperpage.com and there are some real rivals in Asia.
Hong Kong, Singapore and many midsize Chinese cities have buildings more interesting than the Freedom Tower. I love it's height but the design itself is too conservative.
It will be nice though to have something to balance the ruined downtown skyline though.

I truly don't agree with your opinion of asian nations having better skyscrapers desighns than the freedom tower though,reguarding the world financial center in shanghai, the freedom tower and world financial center are dead even wich is sad scince we were the once who invented the art of skyscrapers and scince we should be making the freedom tower a great marble of beauty not matched or close to any other structure ever biuld and to be build for some time.it truly should be a world wonder.

[Johnnyboy]

Although i do believe the freedom tower is not worthy of such a role scince its beauty is not the level i expected,i do believe it is a beautifull building. Lets just hope the building comes out better than the pictures.it pobably will. :)

Scince i cant post these pictures,in this website http://skyscraperpage.com/gallery/showgallery.php?cat=500&stype=1&thumb=1&si=<b7788>there is a large collection of pictures of what the freedom tower will look like.if these pictures are correct,it will look preety cool at night but in day ,"exept for one picture",it sucks. like i said before,the building would pobably look better when it has been finished. this situation is usually true.desighn pictures usually look somewhat different from the true structure. lets hope same is here. according to this website, http://www.library.tudelft.nl/~egram/skylines.htm. hong kong has a better skyline than new york. this really is :oops: i hope new york can take that title again that it once had.

[NYguy]

JMGarcia posted this image of a windfarm on top of the tower
at the skyscraperforum...

http://www.pbase.com/image/30575751.jpg

[NYguy]

Pataki and the Freedom Stone....(sounds like a rock group)


http://abclocal.go.com/images/wabc_062404_rock3.jpg?


http://abclocal.go.com/images/wabc_062404_rock4.jpg


and other Freedom Tower news...

(Ann Arbor News)

Wind power firm may win landmark work

Wind power company McKenzie Bay International Ltd. said it is a finalist to install a turbine atop the Freedom Tower, the centerpiece building for the reconstruction of the World Trade Center site.

Silverstein Properties Inc., the developer of the lower Manhattan property, invited Brighton-based McKenzie to submit a proposal to develop, operate and install wind energy facilities at the Freedom Tower, according to McKenzie. The twin towers were destroyed in the Sept. 11 attacks.

McKenzie CEO Gary Westerholm said the firm will compete against another yet-to-be-named wind power company. A spokesman for Silverstein did not return phone calls.

McKenzie's "WindStor" turbine is designed to supply more than 100 percent of the estimated electricity for the proposed building and store backup power to a battery for use during peak consumption periods or in case of a power outage. Westerholm said a final decision on the tower contract could come by the end of the summer.

The company announced last week it had installed its first "WindStor" system at the University of Quebec.

[Jasonik]

WINDSTOR ENERGY SYSTEMS (http://www.mckenziebay.com/misc/overview.htm)

[NYguy]

Nothing new revealed in the David Childs interview. From the conversation, its obvious that the building was in a state of flux...

[TonyO]

NYGuy's synopsis is right on, nothing new was revealed. He did say at the close that the current design is a "great idea" for what is to come.

[Johnnyboy]

Nothing new revealed in the David Childs interview. From the conversation, its obvious that the building was in a state of flux...

Didn't he say that the building up to NOW
the buildings height will be 1500 to the roof :?: If so that means there can be later changes. I also recall him at the end claiming that the structure although good still NEEDS SOME WORK for it to be were he wishes it to be
and that he will do as much possible to create a true american wonder.
I believe this means we are not at the final desighn. Even during construction, many things can be changed to the desighn. :wink:
i really hope and i am preety confedent this is not the final desighn of the freedom tower. the question is if he is going to screw it up more or make it a wonder like he claimed.

PLEASE REPLY IF THERE IS ANY THOUGHT REGUARDING TO WHAT I HAVE JUST POSTED.tHANKS :)

[billyblancoNYC]

Nothing new revealed in the David Childs interview. From the conversation, its obvious that the building was in a state of flux...

Didn't he say that the building up to NOW
the buildings height will be 1500 to the roof :?: If so that means there can be later changes. I also recall him at the end claiming that the structure although good still NEEDS SOME WORK for it to be were he wishes it to be
and that he will do as much possible to create a true american wonder.
I believe this means we are not at the final desighn. Even during construction, many things can be changed to the desighn. :wink:
i really hope and i am preety confedent this is not the final desighn of the freedom tower. the question is if he is going to screw it up more or make it a wonder like he claimed.

PLEASE REPLY IF THERE IS ANY THOUGHT REGUARDING TO WHAT I HAVE JUST POSTED.tHANKS :)

It will be better, perhaps MUCH, after the changes. Here's to hoping.

[TonyO]

Didn't he say that the building up to NOW
the buildings height will be 1500 to the roof :?: If so that means there can be later changes. I also recall him at the end claiming that the structure although good still NEEDS SOME WORK for it to be were he wishes it to be
and that he will do as much possible to create a true american wonder.
I believe this means we are not at the final desighn. Even during construction, many things can be changed to the desighn. :wink:
i really hope and i am preety confedent this is not the final desighn of the freedom tower. the question is if he is going to screw it up more or make it a wonder like he claimed.

PLEASE REPLY IF THERE IS ANY THOUGHT REGUARDING TO WHAT I HAVE JUST POSTED.tHANKS :)

Nothing really new in the heights. He said that the building goes to about 1200ft. He said "right now" 1500 ft. is the height of the building minus the spire or design element. 1776 is to the tip of the spire/antenna.

He said of the antenna/spire that "whether its this exact form or some other form of sculpture will be the final rising crowning piece at the edge of the building."

[Johnnyboy]

:( I honestly believe that this building if build at the height said to be will not be the tallest in the world for long according to a website called skyscraperpage.com. Heck it wont even be the tallest if the end of construction on burj dubay claimed to be over 2000 feet tall finishes at what has been said will be finished in 2008. Even the international business center in south korea is said to be finished in 2008at 1903 ft tall. 1 year before
completion of the 1776 freedom tower in 2009. Even if those other buildings are not made wich burj dubay is being under construction already, the russia tower to be finished in 2010 and already aproved by goverment at 2126 feet tall will embarasingly surpass the 1776 freedom tower. Even with the freedom tower counting the antena. :cry:

IF THERE IS ANY OPINION REGUARDING WHAT I HAD JUST POSTED, PLEASE REPLY.THANKIU

[Johnnyboy]

You know what would be a perfect height for the structure?

:idea: top of office part of the freedom tower to reach 1500
:idea: top of building to observatory to be 1776 for independance day
:idea: top of spiral to be 2001 for the year the terrorist attacked.
:idea: top of antena beautifully made to shine to 2752 as number of people who died on that site on 9/11.

:D not only will it become by far the tallest building and hard to surpass but, BY FAR THE TALLEST STRUCTURE EVER AT LEAST 400ft TALER THAN THE PRESENT TALLEST STRUCTURE.{ television tower somewere in america} How can someone surpass 2752 feet tall. Thats almost half a mile. :D

:D not only it will be tall but, it will represent independance day and the year all this mess happend and the amount of people who died on that spot. Thats a true memorial height :D

PLEASE REPLY IF YOU HAVE ANY OPINIONS REGUARDING WHAT I HAD JUST POSTED. :) thankiu

[LuPeRcALiO]

Johnnyboy that would be nice but not likely due to FAA restrictions etc etc. A better idea than trying to recapture the world's tallest title IMHO would be giving it an identical twin.

[BigMac]

A better idea than trying to recapture the world's tallest title IMHO would be giving it an identical twin.
I tend to see it that way too. I will miss twin towers, though the concept of spiraled towers is creative.

[NewYorkYankee]

The whole freedom tower is a big joke to skyscrapers...A meer mid-rise in NYC stndards for the offices, then a wire cage to stick on top and a pole run down through the middle...I wont even consider it th etallest becuase the building wont be that tall, just the cage and pole. Big whoop! :roll: :x

[NoyokA]

Two things were expressed in the interview.

First: David Child's is not happy with the current design.

Second: David Child's is eager to make good on it.

Im optimistic.

[PHLguy]

The whole freedom tower is a big joke to skyscrapers...A meer mid-rise in NYC stndards for the offices, then a wire cage to stick on top and a pole run down through the middle...I wont even consider it th etallest becuase the building wont be that tall, just the cage and pole. Big whoop! :roll: :x



1200 + feet is a midrise?

[Johnnyboy]

I liked it better when the planning of the freedom tower was said to include at the top gardens. Wind turbines is just something i can't see attractive for a building. Maibe solar panels but not wind turbines.

Alsow,What is the faa? :?:

And i rather see tallest than twin scince i don't believe there will be any future proposal in new york or at least manhattan that will surpass the freedom tower in height for respect of the memorial and the sites history.

IF THERE ARE ANY OPINIONS REGUARDING WHAT I HAD JUST POASTED, PLEASE REPLY :) tHANKIU

[Jonathan_Hakala]

"FAA" stands for Federal Aviation Administration. The FAA limits how tall skyscrapers in the United States can be.

[Johnnyboy]

Does anyone know whats the faa height limit for skyscrapers in the usa or new york :?:

[PHLguy]

2000 feet (610 meters)

[Ninjahedge]

The whole freedom tower is a big joke to skyscrapers...A meer mid-rise in NYC stndards for the offices, then a wire cage to stick on top and a pole run down through the middle...I wont even consider it th etallest becuase the building wont be that tall, just the cage and pole. Big whoop! :roll: :x

Um, it is still a high-rise bubbie, just not a world-record setter in any way.


1 penn plaza is also a high rise and some of the others in the area can be considered high-rises as well.

Mid-rise is the 20-40 story range (I believe)......

[NYguy]

:( I honestly believe that this building if build at the height said to be will not be the tallest in the world for long according to a website called skyscraperpage.com. Heck it wont even be the tallest if the end of construction on burj dubay claimed to be over 2000 feet tall finishes at what has been said will be finished in 2008. Even the international business center in south korea is said to be finished in 2008at 1903 ft tall. 1 year before
completion of the 1776 freedom tower in 2009. Even if those other buildings are not made wich burj dubay is being under construction already, the russia tower to be finished in 2010 and already aproved by goverment at 2126 feet tall will embarasingly surpass the 1776 freedom tower. Even with the freedom tower counting the antena. :cry:

IF THERE IS ANY OPINION REGUARDING WHAT I HAD JUST POSTED, PLEASE REPLY.THANKIU

Don't worry so much about what's being built elsewhere. The Freedom Tower has a very specific height of 1,776 ft. There are currently no buildings of that height, so obviously when the Freedom Tower is completed, it would be a world's tallest. No one promised it would be world's tallest forever, and that's not the point of the rebuilding anyway.

That being said, there is no shortage of "world's tallest building" proposals from around the world. New tallest proposals are born just as old proposals are dying. But the fact remains that only two have managed to get off the ground. The Petronas Towers and Taipei 101. Add to the list, the Freedom Tower, which will "break ground" this weekend, and you have three.

As far as the Burj Dubai, that project is behind such secrecy that you really can't believe anything about that tower until it rises. They won't give a height because as soon as its given, a new "world's tallest" proposal will no doubt spring up, given doubt to even the Burj's future as tallest. But either way, I don't take any of it seriously until the towers start to rise. And we have one to look forward to right here on Sunday.

[Johnnyboy]

Good Point. Although this competition is not for height, i really believed height is needed to rebuild our skyline and thats part of the competition according to the mayor.

[NoyokA]

Regarding the FAA; since airspace is restricted over Manhattan is there still a 2000 foot ceiling?

Theoretically no, right?

[JMGarcia]

Airspace restricted over Manhattan? If so, they're doing a horrible job of it. I see planes, quite low, directly over Wall St. and 5th Ave. all the time.

[Johnnyboy]

:lol:

[NoyokA]

Airspace restricted over Manhattan? If so, they're doing a horrible job of it. I see planes, quite low, directly over Wall St. and 5th Ave. all the time.

Me too. I don't know. I just heard that somewhere's.... it makes sense.

[Gulcrapek]

Yeah, yesterday in Lower Manhattan I saw two turboprops fly over at 1,000 ft or so...

[Zoe]

There was a period of time after 9/11 when the media was reporting that flights were no longer allowed to fly over Manhattan. I think that quietly changed with neither the media or public officials wanting to come out and say so. No mistake, there are flights that do cross over the city. I fly every week and have not been on a plane that has done that, but I have witnessed it first hand from the ground.

[Zoe]

Silverstein Exec Wants Remaining Liberty Bonds for WTC Rebuild
By Barbara Jarvie
Last updated: July 1, 2004 10:40pm

NEW YORK CITY-During testimony at the first in a series of City Council hearings on funding for Lower Manhattan redevelopment, John Lieber, senior vice president of World Trade Center LLC, a Silverstein Properties company, issued a call that the funds remaining in the Liberty Bond pool should be allocated and preserved for the rebuilding of the World Trade Center site. That call was echoed by Community Board 1 and the Downtown Alliance.
“It will be a tragic mistake if the pool is exhausted,” Lieber testified.
“Nothing is more important than the rebuilding of the World Trade Center,” added the Downtown Alliance’s Carl Weisbrod, who called the site, the “economic engine” of the area.
According to Andrew Alper, president of the New York City Economic Development Corp., $4.8 billion is still available, though a $1-billion allocation for a Goldman Sachs project is among the projects “in the pipeline.” He anticipates that approximately $3.5 billion has not been earmarked for specific projects. The program, which is set to expire at the end of the year, started after the tragedies of Sept. 11, 2001, earmarked $8 billion for commercial and residential endeavors. In February, a five-year extension was included as part of the 2005 Federal budget.
Alper spoke of some of the projects that caused controversy and received Liberty Bond inducement such as the Bank of America project in Midtown and the Bank of New York project at the Atlantic Terminal Building in Brooklyn. Alper noted that both projects involved companies displaced by the 9/11 tragedy. “Lower Manhattan remains the first priority,” he said, “but it’s driven by tenant demand. We can’t dictate to companies to go Downtown.” In regard to the two-million-sf Durst Development for Bank of America, which received a $650-million Liberty Bond inducement, Alper said the bank would have looked to the south for an appropriate site for its global headquarters. If not for a commitment from the bank, Alper said, the site would not be developed and the city would lose tax revenue as well as a significant number of jobs.
Projects that applied for but did not receive Liberty Bond approval include Macklowe’s 610 Broadway, the proposed New York Times Building and the Brooklyn Marriott Hotel. Alper noted the benefits of each project, but said they didn’t require Liberty Bond financing to be completed.
Additional hearings on various aspects of the Liberty Bond program and other economic factors affecting the revitalization of Lower Manhattan are planned.
http://img32.exs.cx/img32/6718/freedomtowerdesign.jpg
http://globest.com/news/64_64/newyork/124104-1.html

[Johnnyboy]

Its amaizing. The Freedom Tower actually looks nice in that day time picture. :shock:

[MidnightRambler]

Not to drag the thread off-topic or anything, but is it too late for the Foster plan?

[Johnnyboy]

very late. The mayor is really pushing for the july 4th start of the freedom tower. There might still be chance for a few slight changes but,the most possible changes at this point of the project is the height. :|

[BigMac]

NY1
July 1, 2004

Cornerstone Of Freedom Tower Arrives At WTC Site

http://www.ny1.com/Content/images/live/64/127261.JPG

Just in time for Independence Day, a crucial building block in Lower Manhattan's reconstruction has arrived in the city.

The cornerstone of the World Trade Center’s Freedom Tower arrived Thursday morning. Workers will put it in place Sunday as the city and the nation celebrate the Fourth of July holiday.

The cornerstone is a 20-ton slab of granite from the Adirondack Mountains.

The Freedom Tower will be a slender, curving skyscraper standing 1,776 feet. The height represents the year of America's independence.

Once completed, it will be the world's tallest skyscraper.

Pataki says the money is there to complete the project, but he is hoping for extra funds from Washington to build more at the World Trade Center site.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

NY1’s Dominic Carter sat down with Governor George Pataki this afternoon to talk about the event. Pataki said while the Freedom Tower is meaningful, it’s not the only thing that matters.

The cornerstone for the Freedom Tower, the 20-ton slab of granite from the Adirondack Mountains arrived in the city Thursday.
Gov. Pataki was there to welcome it, but would not reveal to us what will be on the inscription.

"I'm very excited about the fact we will be able in less than three years from when the attacks occurred to lay the cornerstone of what will be a symbol of our strength and our unity and our freedom," said Pataki.

"But you and I have been down here so many times, and coming down here again, however many hundredth time or thousandth time, you still can't help but have mixed emotions. You still sense the loss, which is why at the same time we build this soaring tribute to our freedom and to our strength. The centerpiece has to be the memorial, and will be the memorial, the footprints will be preserved."

Sunday a number of officials will be on hand, including the governor and representatives of the families, who asked to be included.

Will the project, set to take five years to complete come in on budget? And given the recent insurance loss in court of World Trade Center lease-holder Larry Silverstein is there enough money to see the project through.

"The resources are there, certainly to build the Freedom Tower and beyond," said Pataki. "Right behind us you now you see 7 World Trade Center going up. We allocated the resources to make sure we have the transportation hub and that the memorial is the centerpiece. So we do have the resources, and we are looking for greater flexibility from the administration in Washington to allow us to more things with the funds the administration has allocated to Ground Zero."

Is enough security money coming from Pataki ally President George Bush?

"With Homeland Security to me it is very simple: we are not getting our fair share, not because of the administration, but because their discretion is limited and there is a certain allocation that Congress has required go to every single state. And obviously states like Wyoming, Idaho, Montana – great states – but they aren't symbolic of American freedom, and American strength as New York.

Meanwhile the Republican Convention is right around the corner and Pataki supports the president's decision to not visit the World Trade Center site while he is here.

"The president has been very supportive of all that we have done here, and he's been to Ground Zero time and again," said Pataki. "But the convention is a political event and what we need to respect is that this is sacred ground."

Pataki does say though that he hopes delegates will come, so they can understand the enormous loss of life.

The ceremony is Sunday, July 4th, the beginning of construction for the Freedom Tower.

– Dominic Carter

Copyright © 2004 NY1 News

[Johnnyboy]

After the cornerstone is laid, does anyone know if there will be an on going construction on the building after July 4th? Like World Trade Center 7 :?:

[NewYorkYankee]

Here is a question that baffles me... Why did they put the lattice on top in the first place? Why didnt they extend the building upward with more offices where the "Cage" is??? I dont get it.. dumb :?: :?

[RandySavage]

Because Silverstein is afraid that he won't be able to find tenents willing to have their offices in a potential hijacked aircraft target zone.

[yepole]

hello everybody!
Does anyone know groundbreaking timetable? When it's gonna start? And what would be the best place to see this event?

[Jasonik]

9/11 families: We're uninvited and unwanted
Relatives say city is snubbing them for Sunday's Freedom Tower groundbreaking ceremony at Ground Zero
Wednesday, June 30, 2004

By REGINALD PATRICK
STATEN ISLAND ADVANCE

Families of Sept. 11 victims are feeling left out and angry.

Sunday's Ground Zero groundbreaking ceremony for the 1,776-foot Freedom Tower, a tribute to the nation's birthday, will draw state and city elected officials, including Gov. George Pataki and Mayor Michael Bloomberg, developers, Lower Manhattan community activists and representatives of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. About 500 guests in all, organizers say.

But the people who lost loved ones in the World Trade Center collapse have not gotten formal invitations -- a sign, some charge, that the proposed multibillion-dollar redevelopment of this tract of prime real estate is more about generating revenue for the city and state than remembering Sept. 11 victims.

Getting information yesterday on what interested families will have to do to get into Sunday's 45-minute event, which begins at 10 a.m., wasn't easy.

Dennis McKeon of Great Kills, who formerly chaired a Staten Island support group for Sept. 11 relatives, confessed he came up empty after sending e-mails to both Bloomberg's office and the Lower Manhattan Development Corp. (LMDC) looking for some kind of guidance.

"I didn't get any replies," McKeon said. "The information has not gotten out to the people to explain the process."

McKeon was chairman of the World Trade Center Outreach Committee of St. Clare's R.C. Church, Great Kills, a group that held its last formal meeting on June 1.

A caller to City Hall yesterday was told by a mayoral spokesman that all inquiries should be addressed to Pataki's office.

The governor's office, in turn, referred the caller to the Port Authority, which in turn referred him to the LMDC as the agency passing on who attends.

An LMDC official, speaking on background, explained that no formal invitations went out to any of the officials planning to come to the event, which was announced in May.

The official did say the agency, through its family advisory committee, has been working behind the scenes with families with an interest in attending, but was unsure how many Sept. 11 family members will actually be there.

Meanwhile, Joanna Rose, the LMDC spokeswoman, said late yesterday "any family member interested in attending Sunday's ceremony should reach out to the LMDC's community affairs department at Liberty Plaza across from" Ground Zero. She said interested parties can call the department at (212) 962-2300.

"Arrangements will be made for them," she said, although she provided no specifics.

LMDC family advisory committee member Bill Doyle of Annadale, whose son, Joseph, died in the Twin Towers, said interested families also can be referred for help by contacting him.

It was unclear last night how many families will actually be allowed to attend on Sunday.

Port Authority spokesman Steve Coleman made it clear that, due to security concerns, officials don't want a huge crowd at the site.

"We couldn't accommodate thousands of people showing up," he said.

Some local families questioned why Sept. 11 relatives were being required to, in effect, sign up for an event they believe they should have open access to because of their status.

"Why do we have to contact the LMDC?" asked Joan Molinaro of Eltingville, whose firefighter son, Carl, died at Ground Zero. "I guess it's more important for some politician to get his picture taken than for the families to get any respect. But we paid the price, they didn't."

Concerns have also resurfaced that the proposed tower is taking even greater precedence over the proposed victims' memorial at the site.

In May, when Pataki first announced the project was being put on the fast track with groundbreaking set for July 4, some families complained officials were, in effect, putting the planned memorial for the site on the back burner.

Officials had originally planned to break ground sometime around Sept. 11, the third anniversary of the attack on the Twin Towers.

"In the end, I guess all boils down to office space," Ms. Molinaro said. "The memorial is not a real concern now. The politicians haven't listened to us since the attack. They knew what they wanted to do at that site. They never gave a darn about our feelings."

Sonny Goldstein of Dongan Hills, whose daughter, Monica, was lost on Sept. 11, charged the LMDC "isn't really interested in" getting families to the event.

"They've got their own agenda," Goldstein said. "It's a matter of economics and has nothing to do with us."

Bruce DeCell of Great Kills, whose son-in-law, Mark Petrocelli, died at Ground Zero, complained the people behind the new tower "make us feel like stepchildren."

"In the press they pretend we're all part of the family, that every process is open and inclusive," he said. "But it's not. And that's wrong."

Expected to attend Sunday's event, which will feature the laying of the cornerstone, will be developer Larry Silverstein, who holds a 99-year lease on the site, and David Childs, one of the tower architects.

Reginald Patrick is a news reporter for the Advance. He may be reached at patrick@siadvance.com.

For families who would like to go

Family members of Sept. 11 victims who are interested in attending Sunday's groundbreaking for the Freedom Tower should contact the Lower Manhattan Development Corp.'s (LMDC) community affairs department at (212) 962-2300.

They can also get an assist by contacting LMDC family advisory committee member Bill Doyle at (718) 948-2538.

[PHLguy]

Because Silverstein is afraid that he won't be able to find tenents willing to have their offices in a potential hijacked aircraft target zone.



Which is odd, because Freedom Tower's office portion (1200 feet) is higher than both of the impact zones on both of the towers.

[TomAuch]

Because Silverstein is afraid that he won't be able to find tenents willing to have their offices in a potential hijacked aircraft target zone.



Which is odd, because Freedom Tower's office portion (1200 feet) is higher than both of the impact zones on both of the towers.

The offices on the "office portion" won't actually go up that high. I'd say the top 50-100 feet will be for other things, like a new Windows on the World.

[PHLguy]

^I know but it's still occupiable space.

The offices will probably go somwhwere around 1100 maybe...the south tower was hit just over 900 feet off the ground. What's Silverstein thinking?

[NYguy]

^I know but it's still occupiable space.

The offices will probably go somwhwere around 1100 maybe...the south tower was hit just over 900 feet off the ground. What's Silverstein thinking?

I doubt any of the office space will rise above 1,000 ft. That's about the height of the first observation deck..

[JMGarcia]

^Not only the obs deck and restaurants will be on top but the broadcast center floors for equipment and no doubt some mechanical floors. I'd doubt that actual offices will be much above 900 feet.

[PHLguy]

That was in the 1150 foot sloped roof version.


Childs raised his office to over 1200 feet and I think the sloped roof will be gone. So that could push the office a tad higher.

[NYguy]

Freedom never looked so clean...

http://graphics7.nytimes.com/images/2004/07/04/nyregion/04cnd-rebu1.593.jpg
Manuel Hernandez of Innovative Stone in Hauppauge, N.Y., power washes a 20-ton hunk of granite Tuesday June 29, 2004, that will be used as the cornerstone that will mark the foundation of the 1,776-foot Freedom Tower at the site of the former World Trade Center.

[PHLguy]

^That little block weighs 20 tons?

[nike]

whats the roof height of the freedom tower. and roof height of the office space.

[Johnnyboy]

I am sure that the roof is 1500 feet tall up to now but, the office space i am not too shure. i believe it is around the 1100 mark.

I am not fasinated by the freedom tower desighn but, the more i think about how it will pobably look, the more beautifull it seems. I mean, the building is supose to twist wile moving up and by seeing the Empire state building so huge in the new york skyline, i cant imagine how cool it will be looking up to a building that goes to the very top about 800 feet higher. How can pictures show that.
You alsow gotta admit, that building looks very very modern.

I don't think these pictures really show how the building will look like.

[Johnnyboy]

This is the only picture that i know of that shows the curve

its in this website. just enter new york next to were it says city.
http://skyscraperpage.com/diagrams/?

[PHLguy]

whats the roof height of the freedom tower. and roof height of the office space.


1200+ approx feet...according to david childs

[Johnnyboy]

Finally 1 more day till ground breaking.

[krulltime]

The cornerstone-laying is "an incredible step for the rebuilding of Ground Zero," said Daniel Libeskind, the designer who conceived the site's original master plan.

It seems that Libeskind himself is taking an 'incredible step' for the master plan. :)

[TomAuch]

http://www.downtownexpress.com/de_60/freedomtower.html

Freedom Tower opponents ready for a fight

By Josh Rogers

It’ll either be the beginning of the beginning or the beginning of the end when a cornerstone is laid for the Freedom Tower on Independence Day.

Some see the start of construction of the first tower on the World Trade Center site as an important milestone three years after Lower Manhattan was left with a destroyed place where almost 2,800 people were killed. “The healing of the skyline,” is the way Carl Weisbrod, who represents Lower Manhattan businesses as president of the Downtown Alliance, described building a new tower.

To those who dislike the new W.T.C. plan for emotional, environmental or aesthetic reasons, the ceremony this Sunday represents another step in the wrong direction. Several groups opposing the plan have been in discussions and are considering filing a lawsuit to stop it.

They include relatives of 9/11 victims concerned that things like the Twin Towers’ footprints will not be properly preserved, environmental groups who think the plan would result in too much pollution during construction and includes too much office space, and groups that favor rebuilding a modern version of the two towers.

Jonathan Hakala, who expects to see the towers rebuilt, said the Freedom Tower will never become a reality either because the environmental impact statement will not survive a lawsuit or because Larry Silverstein, the project developer, will run out of money.

“It will lose in litigation,” said Hakala. “I am convinced of it.”

Hakala, who had a small financial firm on the 77th floor of 1 W.T.C., thinks a new developer would have the same problem of not being able to attract a tenant for the Freedom Tower. He said if the Port Authority and Lower Manhattan Development Corp. had a worldwide auction for office space in new Twin Towers with better fire and safety provisions, the offices would be rented out years before the towers are built.

“If there is not the demand then I will sit down and shut up,” Hakala said. He favors a new twin tower design by architects Herbert Belton and Kenneth Gardner.

Steve Coleman, a spokesperson for the Port Authority, which owns the site, said Silverstein has enough money to build the first tower, although the authority is not yet satisfied with Silverstein’s plan to build the other four offices.

“There are still talks underway but there is enough money to build the Freedom Tower,” he said. Since 9/11, Silverstein has spent about $1.48 billion in W.T.C. leasing fees and legal expenses, Coleman said.

Silverstein has said repeatedly that he is committed to rebuilding the trade center office space and expects to secure enough money with insurance payments and tax-free Liberty Bonds. “We still have $2 billion in capital in the bank,” he told reporters in May after Gov. George Pataki announced that the $1.6 billion tower would begin to go up on July 4.

W.T.C. site plan architect Daniel Libeskind had the original idea of a 1,776-foot skyscraper to mark the year of America’s independence. Libeskind proposed gardens on the upper floors instead of offices and an antennae spire in honor of the Statue of Liberty torch. Silverstein’s architect, David Childs, consulted with Libeskind and changed the plan replacing the gardens with electricity-generating wind turbines on the top. Pataki, who was the driving force behind the Libeskind-Childs collaboration, also named the Freedom Tower. Childs changed the shape of the building but kept the symbolic height and spire

Coleman said starting next week, “there will be continuous work from now until there is occupancy in the building in late ’08.” He said after the first stone is laid at the southeast corner of the building site, 20 tiebacks to protect a slurry wall will be installed beginning on Tuesday. He said parts of the parking lot at 6 W.T.C. will be preserved and it will be ready to be demolished by mid-August, he said.

That’s what concerns Anthony Gardner, whose brother was killed in the W.T.C. He said officials are rushing ahead without fulfilling their obligations to preserve the historical elements of the site.

“We want the revitalization to move forward, we just want to be sure the physical area of the footprints is not destroyed in the process,” said Gardner, a leader of the Coalition of 9/11 Families.
He said if the project is delayed it will be because officials try to take shortcuts. Gardner said he has consulted with other groups and attorneys about possible litigation but no decision is imminent.

Weisbrod, the Alliance’s president, said Lower Manhattan will continue on the road to recovery with the beginning of construction.

“To see the first commercial activity on the World Trade Center site and its restoration as an engine that drives the nation and the world’s economy is exciting,” he said.

Suzanne Mattei, who heads the Sierra Club’s New York City office, said her concern is that officials will be reluctant to pause construction if air monitors indicate the activity is causing pollution levels to get too high.

“In any construction project there needs to be an expressed commitment to stop and fix things if problems develop,” she said. “Any time there is a project with political involvement, it’s very hard to stop the forward motion when something goes wrong.”

Diane Dreyfus, an urban planner who lives Downtown, agreed. “You’re building in the heart of a business district that has a lot of exposed residents,” she said. “Ideally you’d furlough the residents and work only at night.”

Josh@DowntownExpress.com

[BigMac]

Newsday
July 3, 2004

Freedom Tower construction to begin

By AMY WESTFELDT
Associated Press Writer

NEW YORK -- To the rebuilders of the World Trade Center site, the 20-ton hunk of granite that will mark the foundation of a 1,776-foot skyscraper Sunday represents promise and progress.

An inscribed cornerstone at the southeastern corner of the Freedom Tower's foundation will begin a construction project that officials say will help the city reclaim its skyline, nearly three years after losing the twin towers in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
But the future of the 16-acre site isn't exactly set in stone. Details in the design of the $1.5 billion Freedom Tower, announced last year as a compromise between feuding architects, are still changing, said lead architect David Childs.

"It's such a complicated building and it demands so much because it's got to be the best," Childs said. Among the elements subject to change, he said, are the crisscrossing cables up and down the side of the building and the positioning of cables leading to the spire topping the skyscraper.

Trade center leaseholder Larry Silverstein still hasn't signed an anchor tenant for the 70-story tower and a recent trial over insurance proceeds limited how much he can collect, prompting some to question whether all five proposed office towers on the site will be built.

Despite the uncertainty, Sunday's ceremony is "an incredible step for the rebuilding of ground zero," said Daniel Libeskind, the designer who conceived the site's original master plan.

Construction officially begins Sunday on the Freedom Tower; at 1,776 feet, a height meant to symbolize America's independence, no skyscraper in the world is taller. The 13-year-old son of a Port Authority of New York and New Jersey police officer killed on Sept. 11 will read the Declaration of Independence at Sunday's ceremony.

The tower is set to rise in a corner of the site that still hold ruins of a parking garage, although it will be several months before the progress is seen above street level. Crews will spend most of the rest of the year demolishing parts of the garage, removing some sections of it for historic preservation, said Port Authority spokesman Steve Coleman.

The schedule has concerned victims' family members and environmental advocates who worry that the construction will damage the nearby slurry wall, the last remnant of the tower complex, and the original trade center footprints.

"This is a priceless piece of our American history," said Anthony Gardner, a Coalition of 9/11 Families member whose brother was killed. He said the construction is premature until more is done to preserve the footprints.

The building, including at least 60 stories of offices and open space for retail and a restaurant at the top, is scheduled for completion in 2009.

Childs was hired by Silverstein to become the building's lead architect following an initial design for the site by Libeskind, who had been hired to create a master plan for rebuilding the trade center area. After disagreements between Childs and Libeskind over the Freedom Tower's size and shape, Childs introduced models in December.

Childs' version is a more slender tower, with windmills in an open area at the top instead of "gardens in the sky" envisioned by Libeskind. The building's height remained the same and, after much discussion, so did a 276-foot spire meant to resemble the Statue of Liberty's torch.

The initial design of the project represents just "1 percent of the work," said Childs. He said more alterations are possible, including adjustments to the spire's structure that would change the positioning of cables underneath the spire. "We have options for its exact placement," he said.

Silverstein released a statement through spokesman Howard Rubenstein Friday saying Childs can't make design changes without his and Gov. George E. Pataki's approval.

"The governor's vision of the building will remain intact," the statement read. "I am the developer and this decision is mine and the governor's."

Libeskind said he hopes that Childs would only make the spire "more prominent" and not change the design in a meaningful way.

"I will continue to be involved in making sure what the governor stood in front of and showed to the public of New York is what indeed is getting built," Libeskind said. "You're not going to show the public one image and build something different."

Earlier this year, a jury verdict sharply limited Silverstein's insurance payments _ raising fears about the development's future.

Silverstein, who leases the site for $10 million a month from the Port Authority, had sought to double his $3.5 billion policy. He now has a chance to collect no more than $4.5 billion.

"I suspect at some point there will be a renegotiation of Silverstein's lease," said Robert Yaro, chairman of the Regional Plan Association. "It's going to be hard for him to commit to a schedule for rebuilding unless the marketplace is there."

The Port Authority recently asked Silverstein to provide more details about his finances and how he plans to honor his 99-year lease. The developer has said he has an "unconditional right and obligation" to rebuild and plans to use insurance and "traditional financing methods."

Both sides have been banned from commenting on current negotiations by a gag order issued by a judge in the insurance case.

Yaro said Silverstein's plan to build four additional towers between 2009 and 2015 is in doubt. "We certainly feel that we want to see at least the 10 million (square feet) that was there built in lower Manhattan," he said. "It doesn't have to be in the trade center site."

But Carl Weisbrod, president of the Alliance for Downtown New York, said every proposed building is likely to rise, although the timing may change depending on market conditions.

Silverstein's money can easily pay to build the Freedom Tower and a second tower, Weisbrod said, while the others can be financed through Liberty bonds available for lower Manhattan and by leveraging tenants' leases to obtain collateral for loans.

"The average public development project in this country takes a couple of decades to complete," said Weisbrod. "The progress here has been nothing short of really miraculous."

___

On the Net: www.renewnyc.com

Copyright © Newsday, Inc.

[BigMac]

NY1
July 3, 2004

Cornertone Of Freedom Tower Set To Be Put In Place

http://www.ny1.com/Content/images/live/64/127535.JPG

The cornerstone of the Freedom Tower is ready for Sunday's ceremony.

The inscription on the 20-ton granite slab is being kept secret and will be read Sunday when the stone is set in the foundation of what will be the Freedom Tower.

The ceremony starts at 10 a.m.

Governor George Pataki, New Jersey Governor Jim McGreevey and Mayor Michael Bloomberg will all be on hand.

There will be a reading by 13-year-old Julian Davis, who lost his father, a Port Authority Police Officer on September 11th.

Then the developer of the site, Larry Silverstein, will unveil the cornerstone, before it is put into place.

But not everyone is celebrating. The Coalition of 9/11 Families says developers eager to start work on the World Trade Center memorial are jumping the gun and that Sunday's celebration is coming too soon.

The Coalition says issues like proper building and fire codes, skyscraper safety and air quality standards have all been put on the back burner by developers.

"There are currently today with are own eyes, we saw trucks driving across the physical remains of the footprints in preparation for this ceremony event," said Anthony Gardner of the Coalition of 9/11 Families.

"History is important and that's why we want the LMDC, the Port Authority and Mr. Silverstein need to do everything that's legally required of them to protect the footprints and make sure they are here for future generations," said Patricia Reilly of the Coalition of 9/11 Families.

The Port Authority said in a statement: "We are conducting a comprehensive process to deal with the historic preservation of the World Trade Center footprints and other artifacts from the site. The process continues with family members actively participating."

The PA also said contracts with the city force them to obey building codes at all their facilities.

NY1 will have complete coverage of the event, starting with live coverage at 10 a.m. and reports throughout the day.

Copyright © 2004 NY1 News

[yepole]

Looks like Cornerstone is somewhere under one of those blue covers. Tomorrow's the Day! 8)
http://us.f2.yahoofs.com/users/40e73e7f_ac94/bc/2de6/__sr_/c9f7.jpg?phwO05ABTIFNVQKJ
btw, why don't we make a new topic as construction of FT begins?

[nike]

:lol: They keep saying the freedom tower is going to be the tallest building in the world. But its not. The burj dubai is already under construction reaching up to 2400ft. theirs also the russia tower which has been approved. at about 2100 ft. and this other tower in south korea at about 1950 ft.

[PHLguy]

^Psh...those buildings are all pipe dreams.


BTW Burj DBX is not U/c...it will begin in 2005 if at all.


Just because ss.com says so does not make it right.