Gothamist: Pataki Promises Safer Freedom Tower Design FAST

Guy

Fri, 13 May 2005 11:05:30 -0500

The NYPD is asinine to evaluate the safety standard of the design based only on a car-bombing scenario. It was two jet planes that brought down the twin towers afterall. If relocation or lengthening the distance between the building and street meets the safety criteria, what would the NYPD suggest for preventing or reducing mid-air impact of the structure? Surface-to-air missle turrets on the roof? Ground-retracting building? In any case, I doubt the new tower, with its annoying delicate twists and effeminate posture, will restore the city's sense of grandeur and provoke the bad guys for an encore.

S.D.

Fri, 13 May 2005 11:04:33 -0500

Add emergency personal parachutes on the top floor? Yeah, That'll work... Did you know that the Port Authority was Exempt from NYC Building Fire Codes up to the Original WTC Bombing? Enforcing Existing codes would be a great start. IMO, the Fire codes are sufficient for Normal emergencies like an Office Fire, but How far back can the building be against a Truck Bomb?? At what point do they draw the line? Mind you, I'm not saying we shouldn't prepare for it being a target, but to make it "Safer" the way the Gov't seems to want is simple: Just Don't build it.

Kojak

Fri, 13 May 2005 10:53:35 -0500

"How do you make a Sky Scraper "Safer"?" Add emergency personal parachutes on the top floor? Use more reinforced concrete in its construction since concrete is more fire resistant then metal with spray on fireproofing. Better protected escape exits and stairwells. Better emergency response system. And so much more... But all in all it’s impractical to make a building airplane-proof. The costs would be so high it wouldn’t be worth the investment. Even though they said the first WTC could withstand multiple airplane impacts, those claims were never backed by any scientific or engineering research. Oh, And don't call it 'Freedom Tower' unless you want to paint a bigass bullseye on it. And besides, its horribly corny.

tien

Fri, 13 May 2005 10:41:21 -0500

lawsuit was already covered here on gothamist.

S.D.

Fri, 13 May 2005 10:03:25 -0500

Um, How do you make a Sky Scraper "Safer"? Nuts. The "New" design will be just as Mediocre as the "old" design. What about the Lawsuit involving David Childs?

sif

Fri, 13 May 2005 09:15:59 -0500

yeah, i bet you it ends up looking almost exactly the same. back to the drawing board for a bunch of architects isn't the same as back to the drawing board for the rest of us. it'll suck just as much as it did before.

MT

Fri, 13 May 2005 08:44:42 -0500

Since it's back to the drawing board, can't they fire SOM and get someone who will actually design something nice while they are at it?