Freedom Tower, New York City

It's too bad all we get on this anniversary is a hole in the ground after delays and controversy. The above design only came after massive confusion and changes. At the beginning everyone wanted something very different. The public rejected all the designs in the first design competition in 2002. Daniel Libeskind won the next competition (much to my delight) but the developer Larry Silverstein didn't like his design. Silverstein practically bumped out Libeskind in favor of his boy David Childs with Skidmore, Owings & Merrill. The final design was changed for security issues but also to suite Silverstein's horrendous aesthetic tastes.

Libeskind's design, below, derives its off-center spiring pole from the nearby Statue of Liberty. Around a central service core, the diagonal braced exoskeleton turns as it squeezes in, and then suddenly becomes a transparent spider's web at the exact height the plane hit the original tower. Notice the artistic detail where the building becomes empty structure. The fluid pieces of glass shimmer reflections of the surroundings will lighting as a beacon. The 1,776 ft height pays homage to the year the Declaration of Independence was signed, also to be the tallest at the time it was designed. This brilliant plan was unfortunately degraded by Silverstein and his boy Childs, with a more symmetrical section and plan view. The base is a protective 'concrete bunker' with a surrounding prism of glass. The spire is centralized like the Empire State building and the corners are tapered upwards. And the empty structure idea was scrapped.

The final final design has 2.6 million ft2 of office, an observation deck, restaurants, parking, and a broadcast antennae. Improvements in circulation and structure will add security. A massive 80ft lobby with circulation connections to underground shopping, parking, and subway looks like it will be spectacular. Large windows punched through structure will daylight this massive space. The building will be more slender than the previous towers, which were already pretty slender, and it will be pyramidal, so the effect will be looming.

^Laertes- flickr/cc license

^Jorbasa- flickr/cc license