My chest is puffed out too and I’m as proud of America, what she stands for and what she’s withstood as anyone but we must include some practacility in their design. Yeah, let’s rebuild more than just a park but keep in mind that a couple of cheap effing knifes just killed thousands of office workers and caused $15,000,000,000 worth of damage when the design of the buildings was encouraged to work against them, causing their destruction.
I’m not an engineer but can’t we come up with something that wouldn’t necessarily encourage an attempted repeat performance? Seems to me that tall and thin makes too attractive a target.
I agree that a new office building complex is required, not only to utilize NYC real estate, but to replace the sheer amount of square footage lost by the attack.
The new building, regardless of its overall look, should be the pinnacle of Western technology. It should be a symbol of the capabilites of the American people, sending a clear message: “You knock us down, we come back stronger then ever!” And I agree that it should have some sort of internal defense system. Like the shields on the Batmobile.
But something’s gotta be built. Besides, “New World Trade Center” or “World Trade Center Mark II” sounds pretty cool.
Because as another poster said, there’d be no way in hell I’d want to work in a new skyscraper put up in part as a way to say “Fuck you” to terrorists. Hell, why not put a big bullseye on the side while you’re at it?
Secondly, you need to honor the people who died there. I realize it’s right next to Battery Park, which is already a nice green space, but I just can’t help thinking that putting another monolith of cement and steel is just not appropriate in face of the tragedy that ensued there.
Thirdly, I kind of agree that the WTC towers were an affront to the waterfront. You have the beautiful Statue of Liberty, the gracious Empire State Building, and then the 2 ugly twins. If they do build something, they should make it something beautiful.
Finally, watching the pictures of the World Trade Center towers burning, I kept asking myself, “What’s missing here?” And then I realized it was water. In all other videos of burning buildings, there is always the ubiquitous water hose. And, of course, there’s no way in hell you can get a fire hose up 1200 feet. Which begs the question: Are skyscrapers safe? Those poor bastards on the upper floors had vitually NO CHANCE to escape.
I like the idea of three towers in a circle with a memorial in the center. That would be amazing. And they should be connected some how at the top - I’m thinking three giant arched spires that connect in the middle, directly above the memorial, upon which will fly the world’s highest American flag (oh, and radio transmisssion antenae, of course.)
I just had this conversation with a friend a few minutes ago. We decided on four towers, each 120 stories high. The buildings wouldn’t be complete if they didn’t have a banner saying “don’t fuck with us” hung across them.
Well, if you’re gonna rebuild the WTC towers, either make 'em shorter, or build in more stairwells. Or both.
As this article mentions, each tower had 250 elevators, but only 3 narrow stairwells to evacuate 20-25,000 people.
In the 1993 bombing, it took four hours to get everyone out, with roughly half evacuated in the first hour. And you know how much (or, rather, little) time they had yesterday.
Towers and memorials aren’t mutually exclusive, and the square footage is far too valuable in terms of commerce and taxbase to not put some kind of commercial structure in place.
IANANArchitect, but IIRC, any modern zoning code requires a certain ratio of open space-to-square footage. The taller the tower, the more open space is required at the base of the tower, and that open space can include memorials, parks, and all manner of other public uses. I’m certainly not going to require the replacement structure be featureless polyhedrons, but I like the idea of incorporating defiance, determination, and memory into the structure.
Epeepunk, are you out there? Methinks I’m in way over my head now…
I am not American; am an Asian Indian. The WTC was one of the symbols of man’s advancement over the centuries. Top notch management firms, investment firms etc. etc. working at the same place. 110 floors above the ground that man was never designed to leave. And he did.
Then some barbarians want to feel powerful and do this. The same thoughts keeps going thru my head “Mankind is being challenged right now. Some parts of him seem to have lost the bigger picture of evolution and technological development. Its trying to depress him for ages by bringing down year’s of work and achievement”. We have to show the deranged assholes that we will carry on from where we left off.
If there is a fund set up for rebuilding the WTC, I am will doante. As I said the new toweres MUST be the same as before, with the only differences being in security enhancements, but they HAVE to be invisible. We have to show the idiots that they didnt CHANGE a thing.
The Pentagon attack however simply doesnt depress/motivate me to the same extent. I am sure the military can and will look after rebuilding and stuff by themselves.
One thing that really should be done is bigger stairwells. I recently went to the dragoncon and remember remarking how much a death trap it was if it ever caught on fire. Either that or some way of reinforcing the ability of the elevators to work.
I think they should build five in a row with tthe middle fing…err I mean, building sticking up higher than the surrounding ones…we can name it “Fuck you Terrorists” or something like that.
I do think it brings up a good point. We’re all pretty upset right now, and a lot of that emotion can get transferred into some less-than-practical or even less-than-desirable plans.
While I do think the WTC site can hold a larger building (in the 1970 foundation-laying they dug 70 feet down to make sure they hit bedrock) but I also agree that the US is far too developed to get into this macho posturing that most of Asia seems obsessed with–building the world’s biggest erect penis. For years D Trump has been trying to do just that in NY, and overwhelmingly New Yorkers have been telling him to step off. NY doesn’t need the world’s tallest building.
What it does need is a modern center of trade, and make no mistake one will be built, and let’s hope they build one that’s up to the aesthetic standards of such an architechturally grand city. I mean I hope I don’t get flamed for saying this, but I always thought the WTC was terribly ugly–all that late 60s white geometry design stuff. They looked like cenotaphs, frankly (not trying to be tasteless here, really.) The new WTC should be large, functional, a testament to our determination, not our insecurity. And yeah, more fire escapes. Hell, maybe stock the top floors with parachutes.
One witness, after 45 minutes of going slowly down the stairs (everyone was orderly but very slow, single-file so the firefighters could come up the inside), mentioned a moment of suprise at how messy the lobby was - until they looked at the elevator doors and saw that they had blown out! Turns out the elevator shafts (all clustered in the center of the buildings) were the most convenient paths for the burning jet fuel.
I’m no architect, so I have no idea how one could design a building to protect against this sort of thing, but I suspect it will be a part of every new design that’ll be suggested over the next year.
Oh, and I’m all for a new, three-tower design that’s larger and louder. We’re talking about the capital of Capitalism here, folks!!!
I say rebuild 'em so that they look exactly as they did before. Make 'em taller if you want, protect them however you want, but they gotta look the same. Make the plaza the towers sit on a memorial with the names of those who died etched in stone, and every year on the anniversary of the event, close the buildings down and turn the lights off at night so there’s two giant black rectangles in the sky.
Call it the World Trade Center, but name each of the buildings after the two youngest people to die.
The point, being, I assume, that Americans can’t learn from their mistakes?
The buildings were death traps, as well as targets. This has been proven twice. The towers - if rebuilt - have to be rebuilt safer - smaller, stronger and with more and larger evacuation routs.
Facing it East would pick on Lon-Gilanders, not Jerseyites.
Anyhow, I completely on board with the re-build idea. I lived in the NYC area all my life (actually just moved to the NW 'bout a month ago) and can’t imagine a New York without the WTC.
Three towers is a really cool idea, and for all of you knocking the architecture of the original two, know this: the impact from the planes was not sufficient to topple the towers. Only massive, extremely hot fires managed that. Screw FLAK installations, fit a fire-fighting system in the structural skin, powered by the Mother of All Pumping Stations placed at regular intervals. The thing might very well be impossible to destroy with that in place.
Additionally, might I suggest that the remains of all those caught and convicted in this crime be incorporated into the foundations. They wanted to destroy the originals, so we’ll build the new one on top of them.
Bigger is not always better. Build One big building encompassing the site. Call it Memorial Trade Center. Make it strong, safe and a testament to bravery, honour and determination.
Its the thought that counts, not what it looks like.
Gotta say I love that idea but somehow I don’t think the city authorities would approve.
We have to remember that at least two other surrounding buildings have collapsed, and probably others are unsound and will have to be demolished. I say we build one massive complex incorporating every single site lost. Bigger, stronger, safer, taller, better. And when we catch the fuckers that did this, keep them alive until they see it finished, then chuck 'em off the top.
I’m just about to start a Civil Engineering degree. Five years time, call me.
