New World Trade Center Designs
-- Team --

THINK Design: Shigeru Ban, Frederic Schwartz, Ken Smith, Rafael Vinoly;
Contributors: William Morrish, David Rockwell, Janet Marie Smith;
Engineers: ARUP, Buro Happold, Jorge Schlaich
Introduction Slide Show Team

Introduction:

  
Rebuilding Ground Zero

The moral obligation in rebuilding Ground Zero is not just how best to remember those who perished in this tragedy, but how to make their memory the inspiration for a better future. The issues at stake in planning the site have a local dimension as well as global repercussions; therefore the design should address the specific conditions of our city from a perspective that could also transcend its limits.

Ground Zero should emerge from this tragedy as the first truly Global Center, a place where people can gather to celebrate cultural diversity in peaceful and productive coexistence. Finding the proper balance between the two main objectives of the project-Remembrance and Redevelopment-depends on the way in which investment in the public infrastructure contributes to the Renewal of Lower Manhattan.

An inspired plan will rededicate our City to the ideals of diversity, democracy, and optimism that have made New York the World's Center for the exchange not only of goods and services, but also of creativity and culture.

Towers of Culture

The World Cultural Center, The World Trade Center is reborn as the World Cultural Center. Built above and around the footprints of the World Trade Center towers, but without touching them, two open latticework structures create a "site" for development of the Towers of Culture. Within these soaring structures, distinctive buildings designed by different architects are phased to complete a program of innovative cultural facilities: the Memorial (from the footprints of the original towers to the top of the highest platform in the world), the 9/11 Interpretative Museum, a Performing Arts Center, an International Conference Center, an open Amphitheater, viewing platforms and public facilities for education Arts and Sciences reconstruct the skyline of the City with the icons of the Public Realm. The Towers emerge from large glass reflecting pools that bring natural light to the retail and transit concourse. Two large-scale turbines harvest wind to power the elevators of the Center that will serve 8.5 million visitors a year. The Transportation Center occupies the memorable space between the towers. Retail is located at both the concourse and street levels to better serve the community. Eight independent mid-rise office buildings and a hotel on the perimeter of the site fulfill the total program according to market demand.