[Dennis]

*****************Posted by Mr Man Before*****************

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?...w90XK0&refer=us
New York Freedom Tower to Be Redesigned for Security Concerns

May 4 (Bloomberg) -- New York's Freedom Tower, the tallest skyscraper planned for the site of the destroyed World Trade Center, will have to be redesigned to address security issues raised by the city's police department, Governor George Pataki said.

Skidmore Owings & Merrill architect David Childs, who did the current design, will work with trade center leaseholder Larry Silverstein and police officials to ``come up with yet another magnificent design that will once again inspire the nation and serve as a fitting tribute to freedom,'' Pataki said in an e- mailed press release. He said the process should take ``the next several weeks.''

Police officials last month presented concerns that the 1,776-foot tower as Childs had designed it would be vulnerable to a truck bomb if its exterior remained 25 feet from West Street, a six-lane highway that runs west of the site. The trade center was destroyed by terrorists flying hijacked jetliners on Sept. 11, 2001.

Pataki and others acknowledged that addressing those concerns could delay the start of construction. The New York Times on May 1 cited people involved with the project who weren't named as saying the completion could be pushed back as much as a year. Foundation work was supposed to start this year, with completion by 2009.

 

[STR]

WWWWWWWWWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOTTTTTTTTTTTTTT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Excellent news. We've been looking at that turd for too long. It's about time it was flushed.

 

[New Jack City]

Posted my thoughts in the world forums, I'll show it here too.

My guess is that the tower will be slimmer at the base instead very wide as it currently is to prevent the truckbomb security issue. This could mean straightening out the tower completely from top to bottom rather than the curvy proportion we see right now.

Childs never liked the spire, don't be surprised if it's removed. Aesthetically (facade wise), I don't think there's any issue as the bracing always seems to be a safe choice. Childs preferred more lattice to be added, so we might see that.

The redesign will again be a disappointment, no doubt IMO. How it will look depends on exactly who is involved in the redesign. Will it be all David Childs? More Libeskind involvement? I don't think it will be a collaboration like last time, as you can see all the fights that occurred with a horrible product to show for it.

 

[Ellatur]

how is making the base thinner a safer way? wouldn't it be more flimsy if it got hit?

 

[New Jack City]

how is making the base thinner a safer way? wouldn't it be more flimsy if it got hit?

If they keep the tower at the Northwest location as planned next to West Street, making the footprint thinner would allow more distance in feet between the tower and the street. The NYPD is concerned about truck bombs on West St. that may target the tower, so a thinner base would create more seperation.

Check the image to see what I mean:

 

[STR]

It could be a minor tweak, I certainly won't rule that out.

But I'm hoping this is just an excuse to scrap/severely alter what has never been a popular design. Even people here and at SSP had to force-feed it to themselves to like it. Pataki, being the self-centered d-bag he is (I'm not even from New York and I hate that guy, and not just for this) might have figured that the FT isn't as great of a legacy as he originally thought.

Doesn't anyone else find it suspicious that the NYPD made a big deal this late in the game? Or maybe I'm just jaded by how well-oiled Chicago is and am too used to everything working in lock-step.

 

[New Jack City]

It could be a minor tweak, I certainly won't rule that out.

But I'm hoping this is just an excuse to scrap/severely alter what has never been a popular design. Even people here and at SSP had to force-feed it to themselves to like it. Pataki, being the self-centered d-bag he is (I'm not even from New York and I hate that guy, and not just for this) might have figured that the FT isn't as great of a legacy as he originally thought.

Doesn't anyone else find it suspicious that the NYPD made a big deal this late in the game? Or maybe I'm just jaded by how well-oiled Chicago is and am too used to everything working in lock-step.

Nah STR, everyone's playing the blame game now. The Freedom tower and WTC rebuilding is much more than just rebuilding, it's about Pataki's political career and possibly future too.

I'll excerpt this from an article in the NY Sun to read...

"I don't want to say the police have been irresponsible, but where were they until this month? I wish they had called attention to the seriousness of the problems earlier, rather than at this late stage."

Well, hold your cinderblocks here. The question is, where has Mr. Whitehead been? Our November 19, 2004, front page carried a dispatch under the headline "Freedom Tower Security Issues Worry Police" that quoted an LMDC board member, Madelyn Wils, as saying, "The police have some concerns that the building would be only 25 feet, rather than 50 feet, from the roadway."

The West St. concern has been an issue mentioned before, the rebuilding officials most definitely knew about it, they couldn't have missed this with all the studies and stuff they've been doing.

 

[soup or man]

A few questions:

Will it still be 1,776 feet tall?

Will it be that extremely ugly thing that has been floating around? You know..that cable looking thing?

Will any of the old proposals be looked at (Namly Fosters)?

Will it still have that horrible name?

The Freedom Tower as we know it is dead?

 

[3tmk]

I just heard it on the news!
YEEEEEES!
but someone should phone abc, they said it would be the world's tallest, where's the Burj Dubai in this :?
anyway, do you guys think this will delay construction?

 

[New Jack City]

I just heard it on the news!
YEEEEEES!
but someone should phone abc, they said it would be the world's tallest, where's the Burj Dubai in this :?
anyway, do you guys think this will delay construction?

NY Times reported that the rebuilding could be delayed up to at least a year.

 

[TICONLA1]

My interpretation, completely new, different design. I believe, (also) that the unpopularity of the current plan may be playing a significant role in the "revision" of it!. And I also think the "worlds tallest" statement made on the news was a mistake in the reporting. (although, if in fact we are looking at a new complete design, it could be !!!.....) It would be nice to see a 3.5 million sq.ft. ,150 story office tower, or maybe two of them!!!!!!

 

[sasha ITALIA]

Great news!

 

[mzelonski]

Nah STR, everyone's playing the blame game now. The Freedom tower and WTC rebuilding is much more than just rebuilding, it's about Pataki's political career and possibly future too.

Save, if its about his career (which i'am not doubting,) wouldent he want to appease the public?

When talking with people at the Javitz center to pick the inital design, I would say the majority were infavor of building high and large...

what do you think?

-mark

 

[soup or man]

I would love to see two towers interlocking. One could be 1,776 feet tall, the other could be 1,492 feet tall. Something large but not Met Life Building large.

 

[STR]

My interpretation, completely new, different design. I believe, (also) that the unpopularity of the current plan may be playing a significant role in the "revision" of it!.

This is what I'm thinking. If it was just a minor change, like untwisting the current design a bit, I'd think the powers-at-be would be spinning it as a minor change. They aren't, they're saying this:

Skidmore Owings & Merrill architect David Childs, who did the current design, will work with trade center leaseholder Larry Silverstein and police officials to ``come up with yet another magnificent design that will once again inspire the nation and serve as a fitting tribute to freedom,'' Pataki said in an e- mailed press release. He said the process should take ``the next several weeks.

which leads me to believe this whole "security issues" thing is a load of crap, an excuse to scrap the horrid design without losing too much face. It's politics baby! I grew up with this garbage and I can smell it 600 miles away.

Now, this is no gurantee that the new design will be good, or even any better than the twisted glass shard, but I'm betting it will, at least, be new.

 

[3tmk]

Well they said the height wouldn't go down, but didn't mention anything about it going up, so why not
and a delay of year is considerable, meanwhile what will they do at the location? Just build the PATH hub, and the memorial around, while waiting to know what exact type of foundation to be laid for the freedom tower?

 

[aural iNK]

The following article from the NY POST seems to clear up some of the questions raised above.

2 YEARS OF WTC PLANS LIE IN RUINS AS PATAKI ORDERS A NEW TOWER

By TOM TOPOUSIS


May 5, 2005 -- It's back to the drawing board for the Freedom Tower at Ground Zero.

Gov. Pataki yesterday ordered up a complete redesign of the planned signature skyscraper in the wake of Police Department warnings about security risks.

The move is a major reversal of Pataki's promise to move rapidly to restore lower Manhattan's skyline with an "iconic" post-9/11 tower that would be the world's tallest building and a symbol of liberty.

Officials familiar with the decision say a new design by architect David Childs is expected within several weeks and will include a building that will rise 1,776 feet, like the original proposal from April 2003, but otherwise will "look a lot different."

Pataki's announcement followed a meeting yesterday with Mayor Bloomberg, the Police Department, developer Larry Silverstein and officials from the Port Authority and the Lower Manhattan Development Corp.

"What emerged from the meeting was a renewed commitment to realization of the Freedom Tower as a bold symbol of the rebuilding," read a Pataki statement.

"A consensus also emerged that a new design for the Freedom Tower is required in order to meet NYPD's security standards."

Pataki said the new design would remain consistent with architect Daniel Libeskind's master plan for the World Trade Center site.

The NYPD delivered a report to Silverstein on April 8, citing its concerns with security at the tower. Among those concerns was that it could be vulnerable to a truck bomb because of its proximity to West Street and the mostly glass construction of the lower stories.

Sources have told The Post top NYPD brass had been pressing the Port Authority for nearly a year about their concerns regarding the safety of the building, which because of its planned height and symbolic nature could be a target of terrorists.

The NYPD report, which both identified problems and solutions, was sent early last month — finally forcing a second look at the Freedom Tower.

Charles Gargano, Pataki's top economic adviser and a vice chairman of the Port Authority, said: "I don't want to get into the blame thing. We have to move forward."

While the Freedom Tower will take longer to finish, Gargano stressed that other projects, including construction of the transit hub and the memorial, are all on time.

When Pataki laid the cornerstone for the Freedom Tower on July 4, he said the building would be done by 2009. Rebuilding officials now say the completion of the tower will be delayed by up to a year.

Silverstein, who has yet to line up a single tenant, called yesterday's meeting productive.

"It is crystal clear that we all share one goal: delivering a spectacular and secure Freedom Tower as quickly as possible," he said.

The Freedom Tower will remain in the same northwest corner of the World Trade Center site overlooking West Street, but it will be moved slightly away from the street to better protect it from potential car bombs.

Another expected design change involves the lower 150 to 200 feet of the tower, now largely glass, that will have to be better protected.

Libeskind yesterday seemed resigned to the changes.

"Security is clearly the paramount concern," he said. "While the shape and details of buildings may change, the intent, spirit and direction of the master plan remains intact."

Any tension between City Hall and Albany about improved security was downplayed.

At a town a town-hall meeting in Brooklyn last night, Bloomberg said, "We made some major progress today in terms of satisfying the demands of the Police Department that this building be really safe."

Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, whose district includes Ground Zero, blasted both Pataki and Bloomberg.

"The lack of coordination and cooperation by the governor and the mayor has cost us months of delay and resulted in the decision by Goldman Sachs to consider other locations for their headquarters," he fumed.

Goldman Sachs had proposed a massive headquarters across West Street from the Freedom Tower site, but pulled out recently over concerns about security.

But Sen. Charles Schumer, who has been pounding his fist for faster action on lower Manhattan, yesterday lauded Pataki and Bloomberg for "moving quickly and decisively."

He said there had been "a change in attitude" among leaders about the project, which came from public pressure.

 

[Ed007Toronto]

Officials familiar with the decision say a new design by architect David Childs is expected within several weeks

Obviously they have been thinking of this for a while. A couple of weeks for a new design??

 

[New Jack City]

Save, if its about his career (which i'am not doubting,) wouldent he want to appease the public?

When talking with people at the Javitz center to pick the inital design, I would say the majority were infavor of building high and large...

what do you think?

-mark

Pataki is trying to appease the public, but is doing it in the wrong ways.

He's trying to provide the memorial focused people with the footprints, grassland and a big park.

He's trying to appease the people calling for tall towers by building tall with lattice and a spire (not exactly what people meant when they said they wanted a tall building, top that off with the "World's Tallest Building" title and Pataki looks even better to this crowd.)

While doing so he's attempting to appease more importantly his own and the players involved more than the public. Why would Silverstein's height limits still exist if he cared about the people's interest of building high? Why would Silverstein still be involved in the rebuilding? Why is Daniel Libeskind in the equation when he didn't beat out any of the other 8 finalists nor the THINK World Cultural Center? (Libeskind's plan never lead any poll.) Why is the transit hub the only concrete element we have for the site so far? (Trying to appease the Port Authority.)

Bottom line for me is that Pataki does care about how the site turns out but the interests of the officials are above all and when you have all these competing interests together, it's nearly impossible to co-exist.

 

[New Jack City]

Obviously they have been thinking of this for a while. A couple of weeks for a new design??

Childs already had his own Freedom tower version/vision before the forced marriage with him and Libeskind took place resulting in the design that was just scrapped.

Here's images of Childs version of the Freedom tower...