WTC Tower Designed Completed

In time for Governor George Pataki's deadline, WTC master planner Daniel Libeskind and WTC tower architect David Childs have come to a compromise in the design of the WTC tower: The tower will both have an assymetrical spire (Libeskind) AND a wind farm (Childs), "1,500 feet tall — 1,100 feet enclosed and 400 feet open — with a 276-foot spire to claim the symbolic height, and an antenna reaching beyond that, perhaps to 2,000 feet." Childs reduced his planned tower by 276 feet. The Times notes the press release hints at their relationship, calling the tower an "idea" from Libeskind, "given form" by Childs (po–tay–to, po–tah–to) and that their collaboration has been "often spirited." Yes, that's when "often spirited" includes one design team accusing the other of breaking into their offices. Of course, the ">Governor himself had to get involved as reported in today's Times story because Libeskind and Childs, like two petulant high school girls who both like the same boy, refused to speak to each other.

After all the drama of their issues working together, Libeskind and Childs will no longer be working together, as they will respectively focus on master planning and tower building. Yes, until the engineering says the tower cannot be built that way.

The Observer has an article about the the architecture world's "oddest couple." See the presentation of the design this Friday at Federal Hall downtown. More about the rebuilding of downtown: Lower Manhattan Development Corporation.