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World Trade Centre ( Post 9-11 )
9-11 brought the threat of theo-fascism to the Western hemisphere.
These drawings, and this text, were part of SGA's submission for the re-development of the WTC site. We remain of the opinion that our solution is the best of those that we have seen, in large measure because we deviated from the competition requirement to build everything on the same site. If you read below, you will come to understand our design direction and philosophy.
SGA believes that the 16 acre WTC site is hallowed ground. It is the place where many thousands perished, where millions suffered heartache, and where the American Dream was attacked and tested in the most horrific of ways. Consequently, the matter of finding a home for 10,000,000 square feet of commercial office space and additional space for retail, hotel, and commuter hub facilities falls as a secondary goal to that of sanctifying the site. This being the case, the entire site must be devoted to parkland as its primary use, with the inclusion of a portion of the necessary built floor space wrapping the perimeter of the park, and living beneath its at-grade uses.
It is crucial that the site exude dignity, humility, holiness, strength, and love, while also generating a modicum of lease revenue. It must boldly state that the deceased and wounded live on, and that the character of the American Dream will grow from this act of terrorism, and not acquiesce to the ill-will of those who seek a world of despotism, theocrasy, and tyranny.
It is important that the debris from the collapsed buildings be brought back to the site. In those Staten Island piles of steel, concrete and other fabricated materials lie the souls and ashen remains of those who suffered terrorism’s calamity. The debris will serve as land-fill in the Hudson River for the future park, building foundations, and marina.
In the redevelopment of the WTC site there lies an opportunity to extend the thinking of Frederick Law Olmstead to the southern part of Manhattan island. The WTC site must add to the lungs of the island, and add to the availability of parkland and open space for which Central Park is known and loved.
In the redevelopment of the WTC site there lies an opportunity to undo urban planning practice which saw the eradication of the area’s urban street grid and mixed-use neighbourhood. This semi-blank slate (physically) also allows for the remodeling of the Manhattan skyline. It affords an opportunity for more sensitive buildings that meet the sky in a way that, with all due respect, the WTC failed miserably. The stepped edifices of Burnham, Ferriss, Alen, Lamb, Gilbert, Hood, Starrett & Van Vleck, and others are the soul of Manhattan’s developmental years, and the root of images that evoke the image of “skyscraper” in everyone’s mind. We can have more of that.
I now turn to my sketch, and address the way in which the foregoing conceptual basis may be developed.
Please refer to the numbers on the attached SGA sketch:
1. Gallerias, and Winter-gardens: These are major enclosed, tall, glazed, environments that serve to re-create lost streets and provide axial relationships for all the elements of the over-all site. These would hopefully be designed together with architect and engineer, Santiago Calatrava. Lost streets such as Grenwich Street will be re-introduced into the site. The skeletal framing of these spaces would evoke both the WTC tubular perimeter structural framing, and the WFC Wintergarden.
2. Perimeter Colonnade: A glazed interior and exterior colonnade (yellow) wraps the 16 acre site, and provides an embracing, enclosed, space much like St. Mark’s Square or the Campidoglio. It protects the perimeter of the site, and with its rhythmic steel columns and arches it draws the eye around the entire site. I see this colonnade designed together with Santiago Calatrava. Santiago is world-known for his delightful and complex steel skeletal structures. I see an opportunity to mimic the neo-gothic steel arches and columns of the two missing towers in the design of the colonnade, and Santiago Calatrava is the man to lead this conceptual charge. Within this colonnade lies retail, commercial, and cultural leasespaces, so that part of the lost gfa is made up on site. The colonnade perimeter functions as a collection of thriving spaces for commercial uses (stores, cafes, restaurants, museums, galleries, offices, stores…). The colonnade will have the ability to have roll-down ” garage doors” for indoor-outdoor conversion depending on the season.
3. Paved Concourse: A paved concourse and plaza wrapping the perimeter colonnade will provide the hard surfacing for a portion of the site. It acts as the transitional material between the colonnades and the “memorial lake”. Part of the pavers will be semi-hollow for the introduction of grasses and mosses. Part of the paving will recreate the paving of the WTC plaza, and part of the paving will draw from the bedrock protrusions of the island.
4. Grassy and Treed Park: As stated earlier, this park will draw on the thinking of Olmstead, and be a place of quiet reflection and relaxation. Many tree, shrub, and flower species will make up this park, with shade, sunlight, scent, and season all properly considered. Perhaps a portion of the park site can be devoted to memorial plaques on planted trees, and the like.
5. Lake: The lake will be an irregularly shaped body of water containing fish and providing a reflective surface to all that surrounds it. By virtue of its depth, it is also a connection to the lost souls. A glass wall will separate a portion of the lake from the “Trench” (see below), illuminating the fish and flora within the lake to visitors of the “Trench” on their west side.
6. WTC Skeletal Remains (The “Forks”): Those images of the WTC steel frame and flagpole pierced into the ground and standing erect remain for all a major image of the scarred site. An island in the middle of the lake will provide a home to this monument of actual building relics, much like a mammoth Anthony Caro sculpture. This island is reached by way of delicate paved walkways leading from the grassy park.
7. The “Trench”: There is a gash in our souls, a deep wound that will heal, but forever be with us. This trench exposes one of the remaining concourse and parking levels’ concrete foundation walls. The wall descends the depth of the recovery efforts, and is accessed by ramps, stairways, and elevators. In some ways, it is the “sunken” Washington Vietnam Memorial concept on a much larger scale. On the walls are before and after images of this site, the Pentagon, and Shanksville, photographs of those lost at all three sites, and photographs of persons on the street, rescue workers, etc. It is covered by glass, and so is both an indoor and outdoor experience. It is accessed by ramps and stairs that descend into the lake, much like the Kubacek Memorial in Brasilia, which was designed by Niemeyer.
8. The “Trench” Exposed Wall: Much as Central Park exhibits wonderful protrusions of bedrock as a testament to the island’s past beauty and terrain, this wall rises above the lake to display the tie-backs, concrete, re-bar and other elements of the lost structures.
9. World Financial Center (WFC): This collection of buildings becomes integral to the over-all site, which will now extend to the west of the WFC due to the landfill and buildings in the Hudson River (see below). The Wintergarden of the WFC will become integral to the gallerias and colonnades that we propose.
10. Main Galleria (Wintergarden): An extension of the existing Wintergarden and the major axial element on the east-west axis. Further east, it ties to the Transit Center below grade.
11. Landfill Park: Returning to the discussion of the hallowed nature of the Staten Island debris, this man-made island will become a new park, and be made of that same Staten Island fill. The remains of the dead will, euphemistically and in reality, return to the site, and so express an enlargement of the memorial grounds.: all is hallowed, some is developed. The crescent shaped portion of the park will have major elements designed by a Peter Max, and these in turn will tie into the facades of the new buildings to the west, whose exterior facades will also be designed by Peter Max and SGA. Through the park run axial walkways leading to the new buildings. These buildings are also on WTC fill.
12. Boardwalk: extending from the new park are a series of boardwalks linking the park to the new buildings, each building an island. They also connect to the new marina that replaces the North Cove.
13. Six Buildings: These buildings are designed to meet the sky in a manner that evokes the Manhattan skyline of the 1930’s: stepped and graceful, piercing the sky with their beauty and elegant massed forms. The two tallest buildings in the center climb 911 feet above the lower podium, and have 93 floors in each tower. The symbolism is clear. The next two towers are lower, and the two outer towers are lowest. Within all these buildings will be the lost commercial floor area, lost religious building, and the lost hotel and retail concourse space. The facades of the buildings will be designed together with Peter Max, using colour and form to create an unforgettable skyline presence that acts as a sister to the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State Building, The Chrysler Building, The Chanin Building, the Woolworth Building…….
14. The WTC Globe: This object, a survivor of the terrorism, will be the axial tensile-point-in-space of the new park, and linked visually to the new buildings, and the “forks” of the lake island. It is touchable, rub-able, cry-able.
15. Tree-topped Promenade: Around the retail colonnade of the park is a rooftop park and promenade that affords an elevated view of the site and its new additions. It also affords more quiet space and greenery. It is accessed from the park and from the colonnade. Perhaps additional cafes can be there as well.
16. Waterpark over West Street: West Street will be submerged and a water park with working fire-hoses, wading pools, water-slides, and jungle-jims will be introduced. Obsolete fire trucks and police vehicles will be at the park terminal points for children to play on. Memorials to the FDNY, NYPD, PANY/NJ and others will also go here.
17. Marina: A marina will be introduced on axis with the globe and forks. It will replace the North Cove, and provide new marina opportunities, such as a yacht club and sailing school.
18. West Street Underpass: West Street will be tunneled under the site and link to a bus, taxi, and subway terminal.
19. WTC Twin-tower Footprints: Two square concrete islands with grasses, rushes, flowers and shrubs, floating in the lake and showing the former building locations. In their center are spot-lights that are used on special occasions to shine upward into the sky, much as was done some months ago.
20. Pentagon PATH/FIMA Terminal: A pentagon-shaped subway/commuter train/taxi terminal, evoking the architecture of The Pentagon. This links back to the Transit Station at John Street.
21. Spot-lights: Shining to the heavens, a periodic connection to heaven, a testament to strength, endurance, love, and fragility.
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