Rebuilding a nation's hope

The skyline of New York will soon have a bright new star shining in its midst. Paradoxically, in daylight, this new star will transform into a tower of strength, hope and resilience, in consonance to all that the Statue of Liberty stands for. Curiously, from a distance it will even seem like the gossamer reflection of the Statue. This mystic structure
will be the reconstructed version of the WTC.

The bid to the world's most notable landmark, the WTC was thrown open in New York in December 2002, and invited the best bids from talented architects and designers across the world. The Lower Manhattan Development Corporation (LMDC) solicited public opinion on the proposals and welcomed unprecedented public response on the designs. The contest generated some of the best and most futuristic designs from seven renowned architects and designers.

Competitive bids and futuristic designs poured forth from Foster and Partners; Meier and Partners; Peterson/Littenberg; Skidmore, Ownings & Merrill; Studio Libeskind and the THINK Team. All the designs presented were symbolic of the spirit of a New York rebuilding its life,
post September 9/11. As Michael Bloomberg says, "The plans presented today (December 18, 2002)are imaginative, innovative, and go far beyond anything we have seen to date with regard
to the 16 acres [6.5 hectares] of the World Trade Center site."

The proposal from Foster and Partners' depicted twin triangular towers, meeting halfway. The design was based on a theme highlighting cross-cultural harmony, wisdom, purity, unity and strength. A three-point convergence area between the two towers incorporates public spaces, exhibits, and observatory platforms.

Meier and Partners aimed at a more pictographic representation of two tall buildings with five vertical columns. The symmetrical columns represent the interlaced fingers of a protective hand, meant to project a façade of quiet reflection and imagination.

Realism and hope seemed to be the central theme for the Peterson/Littenbrg team. The theme was a public garden woven in and around the adjacent buildings. The high point of the plan, a 2, 797 seater amphitheatre covers an underground museum in memoriam of the departed. On the other hand, Skidmore, Owings and Merrill's design sported a more 'corporate look' aiming at reconnecting the city. The proposed design maximised on space with a series of vertical structures incorporating cultural and public spaces and sky gardens.

But THINK Team put up a tough fight. Titled 'Remembrance and Redevelopment,' their plan portrayed an innovative melange of concepts - a sky park, The Great Room and The World Cultural Center. The design was chosen as one of the finalists.

All the designs had to fulfil parameters of a distinctive identity that fit in with the Lower Manhattan skyline, embraced a phased development model, did not tamper with the surrounding environment, and ensured easy access. Studio Daniel Libeskind however won the bid hands down despite tough competition from THINK Team. Overwhelming public response notwithstanding, the outcome was the result of a careful screening and assessment of functionality and feasibility by a high profile jury comprising Lower Manhattan Development Corporation, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, New York's governor and mayor.

Studio Daniel Libeskind's design was an obvious choice for portraying the indefatigable spirit of New York. Called the 'Gardens of the World' the design encapsulates a series of skyscrapers reaching a height of 1,776 metres and also reaches new heights in symbolism and innovativeness. The height of the new design also has a symbolic connotation to the year of the United States Declaration of Independence.

A series of glass towers with an antenna reach up to the proposed height. The towers are proposed to be built around a sunken memorial garden known as the "Park of the Heroes,' and the 'Wedge of Light.' The design will not only provide New Yorkers a breathtaking view of the city but will almost mirror the Statue of Liberty in its shape and height!

The design attempts to capture the sentiments of the people in creating a monument of resilience and as a mark of respect. Although the details of the memorial park are still sketchy, the 'Wedge of Light' is the most unique feature in the design. The wedge of light, meant to be a tribute to the departed heroes, will be so designed and built that the buildings surrounding it will not cast a shadow on September 11, every year between 8:46 a.m. (when the first airplane crashed into the first tower), and 10:28 a.m (the collapse of the second tower). The projected costs of reconstruction with the Daniel Libeskind design is estimated to cost the LMDC around $330 million. Libeskind's design will make the new tower the tallest in the world, beating Petrona's twin towers in Malaysia.

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