WTC Towers Memorial
Encyclopedia : W : WT : WTC : WTC Towers Memorial
The WTC Towers Memorial, formerly known as Twin Towers 2 [link] [link], is a design by structural engineer Kenneth Gardner and architect Herbert Belton (deceased) to rebuild New York City's World Trade Center site, which was destroyed by the September 11, 2001 attacks. Another plan for the site, Memory Foundations, was officially chosen by the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation in February 2003.
Summary
This plan highlights above-ground footprint-based memorials and features the damaged facades of the original Twin Towers as part of the memorial design. It also features re-engineered 111-story twin towers that resemble the originals but with technologically improved structural features and state-of-the-art safety design. The plan includes a 9/11 museum, an arts and educational building, a luxury hotel, luxury residences, and retail space designed with a neighborhood flavor to complement the downtown community. There is less office space than in the Memory Foundations plan.Opinions
The WTC Towers Memorial project which includes an aboveground memorial design was presented via survey to a large group of 9/11 family members in late June 2005. Results from this survey which was developed by and distributed by 9/11 family members, revealed that 90% chose the Twin Towers II/WTC Towers Memorial design option over the Freedom Tower/Reflecting Absence design option. The overall plan for new Twin Towers has consistently been preferred in various public opinion polls from 2002 to the present(typical poll)[link]. A major driver of early public sentiment favoring the plan was opposition to the original design of the Freedom Tower, which as a single tower replacing two, and with fewer inhabitable floors than the originals (topped by a skeletal latticework and antenna technically allowing the tower to claim a greater height than its predecessors), was seen by some as a symbolic chastening, humbling, or surrender to fear in the face of terrorism. Other WTC Towers Memorial supporters are driven by a desire to rebuild what they see as an iconic symbol of New York and America in recognizable form; this thought facilitates the process of resilient healing while demonstrating the futility of the attacks as terrorist acts. After extended controversy, the original Freedom Tower plan with the latticework and unusual twisted shape was dropped in favor of a more conventional design that some critics say resembles the original North Tower.WTC Towers Memorial's most prominent supporter to date has been New York businessman and real estate developer Donald J. Trump, who formally announced his support of the plan's concepts at a press conference [link] held in Trump Tower (New York) in May 2005. Other supporters include Steve Forbes [link], David Shuster [link] (MSNBC), Deroy Murdock [link] (National Review), Nicole Gelinas [link] (New York Post) , and John Avalon [link] (New York Sun).
The idea of rebuilding the Twin Towers was categorically rejected early on by officials, individuals, and agencies involved in rebuilding the World Trade Center site. Some viewed rebuilding the towers to be a disturbing or disrespectful reminder of the towers being destroyed. Others never cared for the original design, or saw it as an expensive and impractical imposition of more office space on Lower Manhattan than market demand warranted, a problem likely to be exacerbated by fears of renewed terrorism.
External links
- Official Site of Twin Towers II Memorial Foundation, Inc. is [www.wtctowersmemorial.org]
- Support Site for this project is [www.Triroc.com/ wtc] Material on this website can be used without permission.
From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.