Vision of World Trade Center in the Future

The new designs for the other buildings at the World Trade Center have been released, and forgetting all the other arguments, the computer renderings show a glittering, rather dazzling skyline. And the buildings will be TALL. The NY Times' David Dunlap reports on the new designs and give some analysis of how the buildings would work within the city:

The developer of the new World Trade Center unveiled the designs this morning for three skyscrapers at ground zero, which in their gargantuan scale would reshape the New York skyline.

The designs offered the most comprehensive picture to date of what the finished complex might -- just might -- look like six years from now. Above, the Freedom Tower is to the left of Towers 2, 3 and 4.

Each building has a different architect — Norman Foster and Richard Rogers, both of London, and Fumihiko Maki of Tokyo — and the result is entirely unlike the monolithic uniformity of the original trade center.

... Lord Foster’s Tower 2, with a rooftop of four enormous diamonds steeply inclined toward the memorial below, would be as high as the Empire State Building. Tower 3 by Lord Rogers, framed boldly by an exoskeletal framework of diagonal beams, would reach a pinnacle of 1,255 feet at its corner antennas. Even the smallest and subtlest building among them, Mr. Maki’s Tower 4, would be taller than the Citigroup Center in midtown.

Dunlap also notes that the buildings, at first glance, might seem "like an instance of urban randomness" rather than a planned - and unified - development. He predicts that the designs will change, and that's probably the safest bet, safer than developer Larry Silverstein's promises that building will be done in six years.

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By Jen Chung in Arts & Entertainment, News on September 7, 2006 11:55 AM

Comments [rss]

guest

Why is it that this design is not so unlike the Smurfit-Stone building in Chicago. I am just a lowley interior designer from Louisville,KY and I can see that. You guys deserve more inovation that that. Either make it just a memorial( the two spotlights speak volumes and I think they should remane no matter what) or build something 10,000 times better. What has happened, has happened and nothing can reverse it. Let's not give those terrorests what they want. Let's create an environment that says... "Up Yours!"

vince

we have to remeber that almost every one of the great NYC building where acully hated at first. like the chrysler building and the twin towers. we sould just build this! it looks good and it will give the skyline the edge that might bring its rateing back to being the best in the world! very good.

Regan MacBannon

The most beautiful buildings we had in this country were the Twin Towers. It's insulting these new carrot sticks standing like someone has just bitton the top off of them, next to the quivering phallic symbol of defeat, the Fearful

Tower (ha, hah!). The Twin Towers were elegant, beautifu, inviting, and people-friendly. This thing is afraid to stand by itself. It is a national disgrace. What "Freedom" are we talking about, the freedom of those who took awar these two gentle giants and "living symbols of peace" as Minoru Yamasaki called them. A must NOT see on your places to visit in NY. I worked in the South Tower and ate at Windows on the World. This things turns my stomach to a point where I couldn't keep an M&M down.

Wayne

The night picture is more "magical" than the day one provided. But at least maybe they'll finally build something? The new designs seem, as a group, somewhat unharmonious or dissonant. Gone is the ascending symmetrical balance of the (sorely missed!) originals. What will they look like from a distance, one wonders. Glass tends to look dark; unlike the cyclopian white purity of the originals. Ah well; I liked Trump's design anyway. But I hope this works. I remember the acrimony about the originals when they were being built, but we came to love them. New York is the capital of the world, the Alexandria of the new millennium. Let's hope these will do it justice!

omar

Oh, my god very beutiful! thats the most (or maybe most) buildoings I ever seen

Javon Mack

This is some nice twin tower I like them better then I old ones but they will be missed.

Thomas

I think that all four of the building should be taller than projected. (something like 70 too 90 stories tall.

Jeffrey P. Andrews

I was surprised at the new building of World Trade Center are very beautiful on the picture. I love it. I already love dream first time, I saw the picture for the art with the World Trade Center. It is very beautiful! WOW!! It is real sharp with the lights. I likes that it. All in my best. Good Luck for World Trade Center. I heard the new building Trade Apartments are very beautiful in Sacramento, CA. Great Wonderful. Thank you!!! Have a great day. I will never forget about World Trade Center for whose lives after they died inside on the World Trade Center in 9/11. SAD!!! Jeffrey

miguel

it looks like a pastiche of iconic Chicago buildings.

Shawn McCollum

I think that the diamond one and the freedom tower should be switched so that from the atlantic it looks like NY is flipping of the terrorists.

exst

Hmm. "Freedome tower" looks like a Trans Am building with a little extra on the sides, the others are just copies of the Chicago skyline... they've gathered a bunch of designers and no body could come up with an original design? whats up wiht that?

Nathan

Skypilot, you are a GENIUS

N. Dotseth

Enough already! The Empire State building went up in 1 year. We've been looking at artist's renditionings for 5 years. It's impossible to please everybody. Just build them for crying out loud!

Skypilot

Great! Just viewed ground zero with my son and grandson and my feeling was, build it bigger and better. To leave the spot empty or non-productive lets the rag-heads win.

Ryan Mahon

Okay, so they build it. Is anyone every actually going to set one foot in this building? There is no way in heck that I would ever go inside much less work in the building.

Shrapnel

You know, I don't give a damn what gets built there. And any structure with the name "Freedom [Anything]" is just going to get ignored.

/Lifelong American. Hardcore realist.

Matthew

Boring glass and steel crap.

Actually, the "Freedom Tower" is the only one with any character at all, and even it is lacking; the rest just go to further illustrate the complete lack of creativity contemporary architects have, or perhaps developers, either way there is no progression here from the garbage "modern" skyscrapers of the post-war boom.

mortonstreeter

also gehry is designing the beekman tower three blocks east of the WTC site, was at one point proposed to be 70 stories ... he will do all he can to make his mark on the skyline. seems that only ratner is hiring him tho ...

Jim

"Just be glad they're keeping Gehry far, far away from this."

You are aware that Gehry has been chosen to design the performing arts center next to the Freedom Tower right?