The redesign of the 1,776-ft-tall "replacement" for the 110- story twin towers destroyed by terrorists on Sept. 11, 2001, follows security standards used by the U.S. federal government for its foreign embassies. So said Larry A. Silverstein, the developer of the Freedom Tower at the World Trade Center in Manhattan. Silverstein unveiled the new design by Skidmore Owings & Merrill, today, June 29. In talking about security for what is likely to be the tallest target in the nation, Silverstein said the design team followed guidelines from the New York City Police Dept.
The original design for the Freedom Tower was scrapped after the police registered concerns about standoff distance from West Street, which runs alongside the site. According to the local construction manager, Tishman Construction Corp., contracts for the foundations and utilities were about to be let when work was halted on the original tower, designed by SOM's David A. Childs with Daniel Libeskind, the WTC's master planner. The redesign, by SOM alone, will delay construction by about eight months, says Tishman. Construction of the footings is expected to begin in the first quarter of 2006. Steel could be visible above grade in 2007. The tower, which has a steel moment frame on the perimeter with a concrete shear-wall core, sitting on a 200-ft-square podium with solid concrete walls above an 80-ft-tall lobby, is set to be topped out in 2009. The projected occupancy year is 2010.