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Stories and Lifestyle: The Freedom Tower in New York

Usually, documents labeled “confidential” are not among the things homeless Mike Fleming finds in the trash cans during his walk through every evening. According to the New York Post, however, that is exactly where he found the plans for the new Freedom Tower in New York – in the trash. The man immediately handed the documents over to the newspaper. If he hadn’t found them, this could have had serious consequences: Fleming told the New York Post he had been ‘outraged’ to find them there, because they were ‘priceless’ documents. “This could have ended up on eBay or gotten to al-Qaeda.” The blueprints reveal details of the new building’s floor plans, for example specifications of its walls and heating and ventilation systems.

Over the course of the next few years, annual commemoration activities for 9/11 will still take place on the huge construction site in Manhattan, because the new building, according to the plans by the New York architect Daniel Libeskind, won’t be finished for some time. At least not for the 10^th commemoration day on September 11, 2011, as the developer, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, promised.

Soon after the attacks, the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation (LMDC) organized a competition for ideas on what to with the land. Daniel Libeskind was determined as the winner in December 2002. He was well-known, which made him the favorite of Governor George Pataki, who was in office at the time. The center piece of his design is the Freedom Tower, resembling the Statue of Liberty, with a height of 1776 feet (541 meters), reminding of the year the USA declared its independence. Four additional multi-storey buildings were to be constructed as well, together they would provide more than one million square meters (10.7 million square feet) of office space. A freedom museum is going to be built as well, also a theater, a memorial for the victims – an underground garden with waterfalls – a mall, and a transit station.

Fundamental changes in the design of the Freedom Tower

Daniel Libeskind’s design, however, has since undergone some significant changes. Different from the first design, the skyscraper’s symbolic character of the commitment to rise above the terrorist attacks will be more emphasized, reported the New York Times. Above all, however, there will be stricter security measures to prevent bombing attacks. Daniel Libeskind’s off-center spire and asymmetrical form were discarded by chief architect David Childs as well as the energy-generating windmills on the roof and the open-air arcade. Instead, the new less bulky tower will more remind of the old WTC towers, which were destroyed when terrorists hijacked passenger planes and flew them into the buildings. In the new Freedom Tower, and observation deck is to be built at a height of 411 meters (1,300 feet), the height of the old WTC. Childs, who had been hired by investor Larry Silverstein, told the New York Times: “The building is simpler, architecturally. It is unique, yet it subtly recalls, in the sky, the tragedy that has happened here.” It remains to be seen how much the costs, that have been estimated at $1.5 billion, will increase due to these changed plans and the higher security levels.

The lower part of the skyscraper that chief architect David Child likes to refer to as the “victory column,” will be constructed in a way to protect against any attacks. The tower will be built on a 200-foot (61 meters) concrete and steal pedestal, that cannot be blasted away. This concrete pedestal will be higher even than the planned memorial for the victims of the attacks. In addition, the huge tower in the southwest of Manhattan is no longer going to be near the state highway, where terrorists could drive by with trucks full of explosives. Upon request of the New York police, the tower will be at least 65 feet (20 meters) away from the highway.

Only very few elements are left of architect Daniel Libeskind’s original design, writes the New York Times. One of them is the symbolic height of 1,776 feet (541,32 meters), commemorating the United States’ Independence Day on July 4, 1776.

It is unclear when the Freedom Tower will be completed. According to a study that has just been published by the Port Authority, all dates that have been so far announced, are unrealistic. Too many unsolved problems still exist. David Paterson, Governor of New York, is of a similar opinion. He said that past estimates and schedules had been so unrealistic, he would not set a new completion date.