Facing yet another monumental challenge in the redevelopment of the World Trade Center site, officials plan to select a final master plan for the site by February. After a period of public comment, the Lower Manhattan Development Corp. and Port Authority of New York and New Jersey are to select the plan from the six proposals unveiled Dec. 18 and the initial proposal made during the summer by Peterson/Littenberg Architecture.
Submitted by teams comprised of international design firms, the proposals are on public display in the Winter Garden of the World Financial Center adjacent to Ground Zero through Feb. 2.
The six team leaders and their new proposals include:
Studio Daniel Libeskind:A 1,776-ft.-high tower is a focal point of the proposal, which features two large public gardens, and calls attention to Ground Zeros' slurry walls, as visitors descend 70 ft. into a museum at the epicenter. A new Lower Manhattan rail station links to hotels, a performing arts center, office towers, underground and street-level retail, and restaurants and cafes.
Foster and Partners:Crystalline twin-tower proposal will represent the "greenest and tallest" in the world. Its two halves kiss at three points, creating public observation platforms, exhibits, cafes, and other amenities. Emphasis will be given to a new glass-canopy-covered multitransportation facility and the extension and revitalization of streets bordering the site.
Richard Meier & Partners Architects, Eisenman Architects, Gwathmey Siegel & Associates, Steven Holl Architects:A great public space, Memorial Square, is at the heart of this proposal. The square is defined on the east and north sides of the site by hybrid, geometrically shaped buildings each 1,111 ft. tall. The two buildings are comprised of five vertical sections and interconnecting horizontal floors.
United Architects:United Towers encompasses more than 10.5 million sq. ft. in a single contiguous building, the highest tower measuring 1,620 ft. tall. The interconnection of the five towers will provides commercial and public space, with gardens and shops on the 60th floor.
Skidmore, Owings and Merrill:The proposal reconnects the city by creating a dense grid of vertical structures that support multiple strata of public and cultural spaces. The buildings are shaped to enhance views, connections, light, and to lessen the impact of wind and sound.
THINK Design:The World Cultural Center, built above and around the towers' footprints, but without touching them, is made up of two open latticework structures. Housed within the structures are a memorial, museum, performing arts center, conference center, amphitheater, and a viewing platform. A free-span glass ceiling covers the public plaza.
