kevin922 0 #1 February 5, 2003 Story At 1665 feet you know someone will.. I used to know a guy who did WTC years ago and got away with it. NEW YORK (CNN) -- Two architectural teams were named finalists Tuesday in the competition to design what will be built on the World Trade Center site, each proposing plans that would create the tallest structures in the world, easily dwarfing the twin towers destroyed in the September 11 terrorist attacks. Studio Daniel Libeskind of Berlin, Germany, and a New York-led team dubbed THINK were named finalists by the Lower Manhattan Development Corp. THE LMDC, a city-state agency overseeing the rebuilding process, chose them from among seven contenders. Both plans feature structures that would reach 300 feet or more higher than the World Trade Center's 110-story twin towers, and surpass the tallest buildings in the world, the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. They would create signature structures where the twin towers had dominated the landscape of Lower Manhattan. The developer holding the lease at the Trade Center when it was attacked has said he is opposed to erecting such tall structures, telling officials that "super-tall office buildings" are no longer practical. A committee -- including representatives of the LMDC, the site's owner, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, the office of Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and Gov. George Pataki -- chose the finalists. It is expected to settle on a single land-use plan by the end of the month. Popular plans Daniel Libeskind's team and the THINK team, led by Fred Schwartz and Rafael Vinoly, were among the seven groups that offered elaborate plans for the 16-acre site and its immediate surroundings in mid-December. "In the aftermath of these tragedies, there is optimism," said Libeskind, a Polish-born American and the son of Holocaust survivors. "We remember every day what we lost so we can envision something great for the future," said Schwartz, a New Yorker whose office has a view of Ground Zero. Both plans received popular acclaim in the thousands of comments submitted at a public exhibition of the architects' models and to the LMDC's Web site. People especially praised their skyline-restoring components, noting that each plan would establish soaring structures in the spot where the 1,360-foot towers stood. The centerpiece of Libeskind's proposal is a 1,776-foot-tall, spindle-shaped tower that would be filled above the 70th floor with indoor gardens. Libeskind would leave portions of the 70-foot-deep Ground Zero pit open, exposing the concrete foundation walls that survived the towers' collapse. He sets aside five parcels for 7.5 million square feet in office space. THINK proposes a pair of 1,665-foot open latticework towers, reminiscent of the Eiffel Tower, rising from the footprints of the twin towers and housing cultural facilities. The towers would contain viewing platforms near the top and project beams of lights into the sky at night. The team proposes eight mid-sized office buildings around the towers, none higher than 59 floors, with a total of 8.5 million square feet of office space. Each finalist also allocates space for a memorial, a major new train station, shopping areas, a hotel and parks. Both plans go back on public display in the atrium of the World Financial Center, adjacent to Ground Zero, February 7. Plans 'not practical' Libeskind has designed the Jewish Museum in Berlin, Germany, the War Museum in Manchester, England, and an expansion of the Denver Art Museum, soon to be under construction in Colorado. Schwartz designed the new Staten Island Ferry Terminal under construction in Lower Manhattan. Vinoly, just named to design two buildings on the plaza of the JFK Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, designed the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and the Tokyo International Forum in Japan. The plans will be evaluated not only for their aesthetics, but also for their workability -- how they restore the grid of streets in Lower Manhattan, how they affect traffic flow, how they connect to surrounding neighborhoods, and how their construction will be phased in over the years. "No plan, in its current configuration, is perfect," said LMDC board member Roland Betts, who sits on the design decision committee. Larry Silverstein, the developer who signed a 99-year lease on the Trade Center six weeks before the complex was destroyed, said he opposes building such towering structures. "It is not practical to build super-tall office buildings in the post-9/11 world," Silverstein told the LMDC in a nine-page letter dated January 31. "The occupied portion of any building" on the site should be "no more than 65 to 70 stories (900 to 1,000 feet) in height." No building should be larger than 2.5 million square feet, Silverstein said. Each twin tower had 4 million square feet of space. Citing advice from his architectural, engineering, and security experts, Silverstein argued against building anything as high as the twin towers. Increased evacuation times and the difficulty of fighting a fire in such a tall building make such plans unrealistic, he said. Also planned for the site: a memorial to nearly 2,800 people who died when two hijacked airliners slammed into the towers. It will be the first project built after an international design competition that commences this spring. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sebazz1 2 #2 February 5, 2003 No idea who will do it first but I could think of a couple of ways to get in but then someone might be reading this... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
riddler 0 #3 February 5, 2003 Security is going to be so tight in those buildings, you won't be able to even sneak in a closing pin hidden in your ass. I'm sure somebody will eventually figure a way to get in there with a rig, but it's going to be a challenge.Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skygod7777 0 #4 February 5, 2003 me, i'll do it, with my vx too later Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
freeflyz 0 #5 February 5, 2003 I'll be right there baby,when they start buliding i'm going to dress like one of the iron workers and go all the way up! Get Some!! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
narcimund 0 #6 February 5, 2003 I seriously wonder if they're considering the effect the security will have on the usability of the building. Will office workers be willing to be anally searched every morning on their way in to their jobs? Will customers for the restaurants be interested in fbi background checks and giving dna samples just to go have a drink and enjoy the view? Who's going to visit these magnificent gardens if it means machine gun toting guards and wall-to-wall recording cameras? I predict draconian security and unrented space. Then everyone will cite "fear of terrorism" as the end of the skyscraper when really it will be fear of antiterrorism that will bankrupt these buildings. First Class Citizen Twice Over Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TitaniumLegs 8 #7 February 6, 2003 I doubt it will be much worse, if even as bad as current airport security. What's security like at, say, Sears Tower or the Transamerica Pyramid right now? People gotta get to work or the bad guys win. As far as getting a rig in, that wouldn't be too tough, with the right connections (and I don't mean the security guards). Getting on top and to a point you can launch could be tricky. If I worked in such a place, there would be a base rig in a drawer of my desk, and my emergency egress would be preplanned, including the file cabinet or axe I'd put through the window to get it open (if necessary). The moral problem with this escape plan is the thought of leaving co-workers behind. The practical answer to that is that I'm the only one who could realistically operate the gear and make effective use of it. Peter (>o|-< If you don't believe me, ask me. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rocketfeuille 0 #8 February 6, 2003 Speaking of emergency egress, have you guys seen this? http://www.aerialegress.com/index.html Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PhillyKev 0 #9 February 6, 2003 Did you guys read the story??? "The centerpiece of Libeskind's proposal is a 1,776-foot-tall, spindle-shaped tower that would be filled above the 70th floor with indoor gardens. " "THINK proposes a pair of 1,665-foot open latticework towers, reminiscent of the Eiffel Tower, rising from the footprints of the twin towers and housing cultural facilities. The towers would contain viewing platforms near the top and project beams of lights into the sky at night. The team proposes eight mid-sized office buildings around the towers, none higher than 59 floors, with a total of 8.5 million square feet of office space". Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nacmacfeegle 0 #10 February 6, 2003 "Speaking of emergency egress, have you guys seen this? http://www.aerialegress.com/index.html" Hmmm, similar proposals were made a while back, and discussed here http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=48395#48395 Upshot ofthe discussion was it would make more sense to give everyone a set of nomex coveralls, heat resistant gloves, and a chemical lightstick. We have these on offshore rigs in grab bags.... Its a cool thought to imagine jumping to safety, but can you imagine say 3000 people all throwing themselves out, then tieing up the EMTs with minor sprains, broken ankles, chutes hung up all over the place on power lines, lampposts etc..... etc.....-------------------- He who receives an idea from me, receives instruction himself without lessening mine; as he who lights his taper at mine, receives light without darkening me. Thomas Jefferson Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Samurai136 0 #11 February 6, 2003 Security on the buildings would be interesting. Guard: Why are you carrying a parachute into the new WTC? Me: Do you need a HISTORY lesson?!? These things fall down. I'm not getting trapped in a towering inferno! Guard: Uh... lemmme check with my boss.... I hope that building jumps would actually become easier in the future. "BASE jumping? No way! That shit is dangerous! I'm testing my emergency exit equipment for this building."Ken "Buttons aren't toys." - Trillian Ken Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rhino 0 #12 February 6, 2003 QuoteSecurity on the buildings would be interesting. Guard: Why are you carrying a parachute into the new WTC? Me: Do you need a HISTORY lesson?!? These things fall down. I'm not getting trapped in a towering inferno! How could a guard POSSIBLY argue with that.. lol Rhino Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
