Reply With QuoteA miss is as good as a mile, HC.
I don't think the plaza is being raised that high. The original north bridge was more than an entire story above the street.Originally Posted by Enigmatism415
Beaten by 2 minutes. Zippy!
A miss is as good as a mile, HC.
I wasn't sure how high the plaza was, but I suppose not high enough for that idea to be feasible.
In any case, I think plaza space elevated above street level was a large part of the charm of the original WTC complex (even though many despised it for supposedly cutting off the complex from the surrounding neighborhood). One of the greatest disappointments for me regarding the new WTC (aside from the fact that I wanted the twin towers rebuilt) is the lack of elevated space, which will only be available in Liberty Park (as far as I know).
Earthcam - Now
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It will certainly be a very special Independence Day for New Yorkers (if everything goes to plan)
Zippy, what do you think the conservative likelihood is that 1WTC will top out by then, considering where we are at this point?
Ooooh ouch, harsh man. Harsh.
I have no idea what goes on up there day to day.
And what's considered topping out - the parapet? Won't there be a transmission center, above or below 1368 ft?
Exactly. I can run up there this afternoon and tell you precisely where it will be on July 4 but, to me anyway, it's nowhere near done. When every column is in place to the top of the parapet I'll call it topped out.
Safety first??
Ummm... Does anyone see the decrease in staircases in that side of the block as a potential hazard? I understand that money driven changes in aesthetics are very easily implemented; but I see this not only as a streetscape aesthetic issue but a safety one as if the building would ever have to be urgentlyt evacuated the one little staircase on the elevated plaza will be a dangerous bottle neck.....
That was my thought as well. It creates more problems than it "solves" and it ruins what was a nice little open plaza. That fountain? Gone, as is the skylight that was supposed to go through the fountain to the observation deck waiting area. Zippy took pictures of them building said skylight, so we know it exists, but instead they are just going to cover it up and pretend it never happened. The stairs that they had set up against the side of the tower where people could sit and just take stuff in? Removed because they were worried people would injure themselves on the original stainless steel covering the architect chose. Then why not just change the steps to stone instead of stainless steel?
Ummm... Does anyone see the decrease in staircases in that side of the block as a potential hazard? I understand that money driven changes in aesthetics are very easily implemented; but I see this not only as a streetscape aesthetic issue but a safety one as if the building would ever have to be urgentlyt evacuated the one little staircase on the elevated plaza will be a dangerous bottle neck.....
I'm so disappointed with 1 WTC that I don't know if I really care about it that much anymore. Silverstein's towers across the street are going to be so much warmer and more welcoming anyway. The contrast with the bunker at 1 WTC will be quite stark, I imagine.
The building that tried to please all (Height, safety, symbolism, cost, etc) will end up pleasing none. Silverstein knew what he was doing when he passed on control of this building. Hope rides on WTC 2.
Irish, can yoju take a peek over at 4 WTC? Apeears that the parapet may have topped out today.
Typical of anything the government sticks its fingers into. Look at anything "joint" (their favorite buzzword) that the military does. Jack of all trades, master of none.
As far as egress from the plaza, the street is sloped there so the Plaza is elevated only on the North (Vesey Street) side, and is at ground level on the South (Fulton) side. So there should be easy egress that way. You can see it in the configuration of the stairs in the original design.
Good point.
I can't figure why they did this, other than to create a space that could be more easily controlled - as trivial as that sounds.
All we have for an explanation is:Most people don't come in from the west only refers to those that are specifically going into 1 WTC, but prior to 09/11, the Vesey West crosswalk was very busy, as the bridge now is.“We wanted to create as much plaza as possible,” Mr. Durst said. “We didn’t see that the steps added anything, because most people don’t come in from the west.” Durst executives also questioned the wisdom of using stainless steel as a walking surface.
This corner won't be a backdoor to the site. The building will have enough trouble integrating with the street; this walled off terrace just adds to it.
Is stainless steel as a walking surface really an issue? There's no way to make metal flooring non-slippery?
I think it's more about stainless steel as a sitting surface.
Shouldn't we consider the possibility of future renovations down the road? After all, the original WTC complex had undergone several, with more drastic ones having been planned for the future as well.
Is there any intrinsic design property of the elevated plaza that necessarily forgoes the possibility of installing a skylight? Can the antenna atop 1WTC not be ultimately replaced by the more palatable spire? Hell, even the skirting of the bunker could be modified or replaced completely, albeit expensively.
Unfortunately, NYC's officials–along with a sizable number of its residents–seem to maintain post-9/11 paranoia, though surely (read: hopefully) not indefinite. It deeply saddens me when aesthetics and utility have to bow to overzealous security concerns. In my opinion, the terrorists have already reaped their ill-gotten victory from their second attack on the WTC; a third would be not only unlikely, but nonsensical. The sacrifice of artistic and technological progress in the name of defense (here an incarnation of paranoia) is a clear sign of cultural stagnation.
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