Freedom Tower, NYC : World Trade Center Architecture

Key Manhattan building no longer standing Site of World Trade Center New York 1966-73 (destroyed 2001) Minoru Yamasaki, Emery Roth & Sons One World Trade Center was 417m high, Two World Trade Center was 415m high World Trade Center Towers - photos Ground Zero New York photo, WTC7 on right: Andrew McRae, 2007 Freedom Tower - Site of World Trade Center Ground Zero, Lower Manhattan 2004- Daniel Libeskind Architects + David Childs of SOM Architects Controversial towers to replace the World Trade Centre skyscrapers lost to New York in 2001. The main skyscraper by Libeskind was to be a significant number of feet high - 1,776 feet - to mark a key American date in history - United States Year of Independence; the building was largely handed over to architect David Childs. Designed to be the tallest tower in the world for the site leaseholder - real estate developer Larry Silverstein. The angular design is typical for Libeskind but here echoes the Statue of Liberty. A Snohetta building was also due to appear but the situation is in a state of flux, more online soon - 2006. Daniel Libeskind was commissioned to design the Freedom Tower after a strongly contested World Trade Center design competition in Feb 2003, beating architects such as Norman Foster and in the end winning a two-strong shortlist. Six teams were shortlisted in Sep 2002 out of over 400 submissions, including: Foster & Partners Richard Meier Architect Studio Daniel Libeskind United Architects Think Group Freedom Tower New York - Article on Ground Zero / World Trade Center Gehry Partners LLP and Snøhetta were selected as architects for the World Trade Center cultural complex by Lower Manhattan Development Corporation in Dec 2004 World Trade Center Transportation Hub, New York City, USA Santiago Calatrava has designed the Transport Interchange on the site, with an arching skeletal form similar to that used in his French interchange - the Lyon-Satolas TGV Station. The World Trade Center Transit Hub is intended to mimic a flying dove. New York Architecture - Photo © Tim Collins New York Skyscrapers In 1946 New York State Legislature set up a WTC Corporation to analyse such a facility. The World Trade Centre idea formed in 1960* and preliminary drawings were drawn up by SOM, who slipped in behind Libeskind 43 years later (via David Childs). Michigan-based Minori Yamasaki and Emery Roth & Sons completed the Twin Towers between 1966 and 1973. Yamasaki had over a hundred schemes, one being a single 150-storey tower. Towers 1 & 2, nicknamed ‘David & Nelson’ after the supportive Rockefeller Brothers became quintessential New York symbols, appearing on a large proportion of postcards. Key Daniel Libeskind Buildings Jewish Museum, Berlin, Germany 1998 Imperial War Museum North, Manchester, England 2002 London Metropolitan University, London, England 2004 World Financial Center - 1986 Cesar Pelli, Architect Including the Winter Garden World Trade Centre - New Museum Complex Ground Zero 2006? Snohetta, Architects International Freedom Centre + Drawing Centre. Also named the WTC Cultural Center. Snøhetta Architects became well known with their Alexandria library in Egypt which won a major architecture competition: Snohetta Architects Snohetta have an architects office in New York based at 50 Broad St Another featured building by Daniel Libeskind: Creative Media Centre - Hong Kong Buildings Another New York building by Daniel Libeskind: Condominium tower in Union City, New Jersey