OT: WTC Rebuild Project

[BST]

I posted this at CA last week and meant to post it here as well.

Post subject: For JSC1 and all -- OT: WTC Rebuild Project

JSC,

This link contains information AND drawings of the original 9 designs in the competition for rebuilding the World Trade Center site:

http://www.renewnyc.com/plan_des_dev...ns/default.asp

...while this one shows the winning design:

http://www.renewnyc.com/plan_des_dev...ted_design.asp

I like the patriotic tie-in with the height -- 1776 feet.

BST

[thomas7g]

I'm not so sure I like any of the new designs....

I don't like the chaotic lines and angles all over the place look.

[nightscape2112]

cool, thanks for the links.

nightscape

[Senmut]

Personally, I think it should be rebuilt where it was, AS it was. Flip our nose at those golmonging snitrads.

[BST]

UPDATE:

8 Finalists / Concepts have been selected for the "Memorial Park" to be built, in the footprint of the Twin Towers.

Check the link for the full story:

http://www.wtcsitememorial.org/finalists.html

[Senmut]

Will there be terrorist skulls mounted on spears as part of the design?

[Micheleh]

I always wanted them to go with the park idea.

[nightscape2112]

i like senmut idea. put thier heads on pikes in the park. i have been getting pissed off every time i see an old picture of the WTC and i remember the people that died there.

every terrorist in the world should die a horrible death. screw them all, even the ones who support terrorist. kill them and thier friends. everyone of them little pansy arse cowards need to have a boot in the arse.

oh well, i went on a small rant. i will stop now.

nightscape

[BST]

Update:

http://abcnews.go.com/wire/US/ap20040705_100.html


N.Y. Begins Construction of Freedom Tower

Construction of 1,776-Foot Freedom Tower Begins at Ground Zero With Laying of 20-Ton Cornerstone

The Associated Press

NEW YORK July 5, 2004 — The cornerstone of a new skyscraper that will one day soar over ground zero has been unveiled, a symbolic step for victims' relatives and a chance for Manhattan to reclaim its broken skyline.
A crane lifted the 20-ton stone, quarried from the Adirondack Mountains, and placed it Sunday in the southeastern corner of what will be the Freedom Tower's foundation.




The inscription read, "To honor and remember those who lost their lives on September 11, 2001 and as a tribute to the enduring spirit of freedom July Fourth, 2004."

Gov. George E. Pataki said he chose to begin construction on the 1,776-foot tower no other building in the world will be taller on July 4 to show that terrorists who brought down the towers on Sept. 11 didn't destroy the country's faith in freedom.

"Let this great Freedom Tower show the world that what our enemies sought to destroy our democracy, our freedom, our way of life stands taller than ever," Pataki told about 500 people gathered at the 16-acre site.

New Jersey Gov. James McGreevey said: "We reclaim this ground in the names of those who we have lost." The 13-year-old son of a police officer killed on Sept. 11 read portions of the Declaration of Independence.

Family members of victims attending the ceremony were pleased that construction was under way.

"It's a new beginning," said John Foy, whose mother-in-law, Rita Blau, was killed in the south tower. "We all need to move on and rise above this."

The stone and its inscription will eventually disappear from view, as crews work over the next year to remove ruins of a parking garage and shore up the 70-foot-deep foundation before building the Freedom Tower above street level. Parts of the parking garage will go to a storage hangar at John F. Kennedy International Airport for historic preservation.

When it is ready for occupancy in 2009, the twisting glass and steel tower, topped by a 276-foot spire designed to evoke the Statue of Liberty, will include 2.6 million square feet of office space on 72 floors. Sixty stories of office space will be topped by 10 stories of open-air retail and restaurant space, an observation deck and energy-generating windmills.

Trade center leaseholder Larry Silverstein has plans to build four more towers between 2009 and 2015, although some have questioned whether he still has the money to do so after losing a trial aimed at doubling his $3.5 billion insurance policy.

Silverstein has said he has more than enough money to build the Freedom Tower, budgeted at $1.5 billion, and will use "traditional financing methods" to pay for the rest of the development.

Construction is also planned for a memorial that would transform the twin towers' footprints into reflecting pools and cultural space including several small theaters.

A group of victims' family members passed out pictures of the tower footprints outside the ceremony, saying they couldn't support the rebuilding until they were assured the historic elements of the site would be protected.

Architect David Childs, of Skidmore Owings and Merrill, was hired by Silverstein to become the building's lead architect after Daniel Libeskind created the master plan.

Taiwan's Taipei 101 tower, at 1,676 feet, recently supplanted Malaysia's 1,483-foot Petronas Towers as the tallest building in the world. The 110-story World Trade Center towers were 1,350 feet tall.

On Sunday, Mayor Michael Bloomberg noted that once again, "the world's tallest building will rise in lower Manhattan."

photo credit and caption: New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, third from right, touches the cornerstone for the Freedom Tower at Ground Zero at the World Trade Center site during an unveiling ceremony in New York Sunday, July 4, 2004. With him are New Jersey Gov. James McGreevey, right, New York Gov. George Pataki, second from right, and site owner Larry Silverstein, behind. The cornerstone, with its inscription of the words, "to honor and remember those who lost their lives on September 11, 2001 and as a tribute to the enduring spirit of freedom," will be buried beneath the new tower. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)


Copyright 2004 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

[bsg1fan1975]

Originally Posted by Senmut

Personally, I think it should be rebuilt where it was, AS it was. Flip our nose at those golmonging snitrads.

I agree Sen. I just don't think that it should be made as tall as they are planning it. Makes it an easy target again. Or it should have been a memorial park.

[shiningstar]

Originally Posted by BST

I posted this at CA last week and meant to post it here as well.




BST

The 'height' is ok ........I agree with TOM on this one ........I don't like
ANY of the designs

[shiningstar]

Originally Posted by nightscape2112

i like senmut idea. put thier heads on pikes in the park. i have been getting pissed off every time i see an old picture of the WTC and i remember the people that died there.

every terrorist in the world should die a horrible death. screw them all, even the ones who support terrorist. kill them and thier friends. everyone of them little pansy arse cowards need to have a boot in the arse.

oh well, i went on a small rant. i will stop now.

nightscape

I like Senmuts Idea as well Nightscape. The WTC should be as it was.

[shiningstar]

I think as Senmut does that the WTC needs to be rebuilt as it WAS. I also agree
with Nightscape in HOW the terrorists should die. I don't like the steralized
designs that were submitted for consideration. Nor do I like the 'winning' design
although I do like the height ..........but that's it.

[unowhoandwhy]

I think the design is incredibly ugly, although I do like the idea of the number 1776 in theory, the spire looks like it will be more of an eyesore than an eyecatcher. As for what should have been done, I think it should have become a memorial park, a tasteful memorial park, although I do like Sen's idea of terrorist's heads on pikes around the perimeter.

[bsg1fan1975]

the blasted new design is an eyesore and a great target! Rebuild the old ones I do agree with. They would serve as a memorial to the ones who died there.

We should round up every last terrorist and do to them what they did to those innocent people.

[thomas7g]

What i really would LOVE to see is if they could markk off the footprint of the buildings, make a park, add some running water... and add those lights they used to make the two twin lightbeams like they did before in the "Remembrance" of the attack.

[BST]

To the best of my knowledge, the new WTC will NOT be built on the footprint of the original Twin Towers. Apparently, there are plans for a memorial park.

I'll try to find some information on the park.

[shiningstar]

Originally Posted by BST

To the best of my knowledge, the new WTC will NOT be built on the footprint of the original Twin Towers. Apparently, there are plans for a memorial park.

I'll try to find some information on the park.

Please do Bst. I appreciate all of your efforts in this matter.

[BST]

Thanks, Shiningstar.

I did find some information regarding the Memorial Park, on the Lower Manhattan Development Corp website.

Here's the article, followed by a picture:

Reflecting Absence


This memorial proposes a space that resonates with the feelings of loss and absence that were generated by the destruction of the World Trade Center and the taking of thousands of lives on September 11, 2001 and February 26, 1993. It is located in a field of trees that is interrupted by two large voids containing recessed pools. The pools and the ramps that surround them encompass the footprints of the twin towers. A cascade of water that describes the perimeter of each square feeds the pools with a continuous stream. They are large voids, open and visible reminders of the absence.

The surface of the memorial plaza is punctuated by the linear rhythms of rows of deciduous trees, forming informal clusters, clearings and groves. This surface consists of a composition of stone pavers, plantings and low ground cover. Through its annual cycle of rebirth, the living park extends and deepens the experience of the memorial.

Bordering each pool is a pair of ramps that lead down to the memorial spaces. Descending into the memorial, visitors are removed from the sights and sounds of the city and immersed in a cool darkness. As they proceed, the sound of water falling grows louder, and more daylight filters in from below. At the bottom of their descent, they find themselves behind a thin curtain of water, staring out at an enormous pool. Surrounding this pool is a continuous ribbon of names. The enormity of this space and the multitude of names that form this endless ribbon underscore the vast scope of the destruction. Standing there at the water's edge, looking at a pool of water that is flowing away into an abyss, a visitor to the site can sense that what is beyond this curtain of water and ribbon of names is inaccessible.

The names of the deceased will be arranged in no particular order around the pools. After carefully considering different arrangements, I have found that any arrangement that tries to impose meaning through physical adjacency will cause grief and anguish to people who might be excluded from that process, furthering the sense of loss that they are already suffering.

The haphazard brutality of the attacks is reflected in the arrangement of names, and no attempt is made to impose order upon this suffering. The selfless sacrifices of rescue workers could be acknowledged with their agency's insignia next to their names. Visitors to the site, including family members and friends of the deceased, would be guided by on-site staff or a printed directory to the specific location of each name. For those whose deceased were never physically identified, the location of the name marks a spot that is their own.

In between the two pools is a short passageway that links them at this lower level. A single alcove is located along this passageway, containing a small dais where visitors can light a candle or leave an artifact in memory of loved ones. Across from it, in a small chamber, visitors might pause and contemplate. This space provides for gatherings, quiet reflection, and memorial services.

Along the western edge of the site, a deep fissure exposes the slurry wall from plaza level to bedrock and provides access via a stairway. Descending alongside its battered surfaces, visitors will witness the massive expanse of the original foundations. The entrance to the underground interpretive center is located at bedrock. Here visitors could view many preserved artifacts from the twin towers: twisted steel beams, a crushed fire truck, and personal effects. The underground interpretive center would contain exhibition areas as well as lecture halls and a research library.

In contrast with the public mandate of the underground interpretive center is the very private nature of the room for unidentified remains. It is situated at bedrock at the north tower footprint. Here a large stone vessel forms a centerpiece for the unidentified remains. A large opening in the ceiling connects this space to the sky above, and the sound of water shelters the space from the city. Family members can gather here for moments of private contemplation. It is a personal space for remembrance.

The memorial plaza is designed to be a mediating space; it belongs both to the city and to the memorial. Located at street level to allow for its integration into the fabric of the city, the plaza encourages the use of this space by New Yorkers on a daily basis. The memorial grounds will not be isolated from the rest of the city; they will be a living part of it.

Michael Arad and Peter Walker

[unowhoandwhy]

The new building is still ugly, but I feel better now that I see that they will leave the original site alone. Thank you, BST!

[thomas7g]

Looks like they made a ice building and it sheared itself....Tom not happy with it either.....

[shiningstar]

Originally Posted by thomas7g

Looks like they made a ice building and it sheared itself....Tom not happy with it either.....

Neither am I! I've seen better buildings then that built from baby building blocks