NEW YORK | One World Trade Center | 1,776' Pinnacle / 1,373' Roof | 108 FLOORS

[philvia]

^^ "delay" is extremely over used and emphasized. the way i understand these "delays" in the media is just the completion date being pushed back. no real delay in construction.... just completion dates.

[NYC4Life]

Despite what we hear in the media, there is real progress at the site and construction is moving full steam ahead, as evidenced from these last photos. Compared to just a year ago, there is a tremendous amount of construction activity currently taking place.

[NYguy]

this is the most confusing undertaking ive ever seen in my entire life. We start hearing all these reports of massive delays while the freedom tower is actually growing and the transit hub gets its first steel. I am the only one that doesnt see the link up here?

When they talk of delays, they never meant work wasn't actually being done, but that the target dates for completeion weren't accurate. Really the only elaments that have seen their dates changed the most were the memorial and Calatrava's terminal. It was revealed yesterday that the memorial will in fact be open by the 10th anniversary - but the museum will not. Also, their has been a resolution with the Greek Church rebuilding that will allow for work to progress at the southern end of the site.

[NYguy]

http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/newyork/ny-bc-ny--cementtruckerstri0710jul10,0,4682033.story

Drivers returning to WTC site, but strike goes on

July 10, 2008

NEW YORK - A New York City concrete maker says its striking cement truck drivers will go back to work at the World Trade Center site.

A 10-day strike by hundreds of other union drivers continues. But Quadrozzi Concrete Corp. says it worked out a separate agreement Thursday with some members of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 282. The agreement means concrete work will resume Friday at the trade center site and other construction projects handled by Quadrozzi.

Talks are continuing between Local 282 and the Association of New York City Concrete Producers. The union says it has no comment on the separate agreement.

The concrete producers association's phone has been ringing unanswered.

____________________________________

http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2008/07/10/2008-07-10_world_trade_center_shrine_nearly_ready_b.html

World Trade Center shrine nearly ready by 2011, Port Authority says

BY BRIAN KATES and LEO STANDORA
July 10th 2008, 10:56 PM

A Ground Zero Memorial - but not the planned museum - will be in place by the 10th anniversary of the terror attacks, Port Authority chief Christopher Ward vowed Thursday night.

"What we hoped for, dreamed of, will be completed," he told a Community Board 1 meeting attended by Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver (D-Manhattan) and other officials.

Ward's promise came on the same day relatives of Sept. 11 victims railed at him in a letter over his admission last month that Ground Zero construction is over budget and years behind schedule.

Ward said the letter was "thoughtful" and expressed "the deep emotions of the family members."

He said he now foresees a memorial that includes "a plaza, trees, and most of the design elements" opening by Sept. 11, 2011.

_____________________________________________________________

http://www.nysun.com/new-york/deal-on-church-could-speed-ground-zero-rebuilding/81680/

Deal on Church Could Speed Ground Zero Rebuilding

By PETER KIEFER
July 11, 2008


The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is in the final stages of striking a deal for the construction of a Greek Orthodox Church at ground zero, one of the key hurdles that has impeded development at the site.

The executive director of the Port Authority, Christopher Ward, told the local Community Board 1 last night that an agreement with the leaders of St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church for an exchange of land needed to provide the congregation with a new home near ground zero had been reached. The church was destroyed after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, when the World Trade Center's South Tower collapsed and obliterated the building.

Mr. Ward later clarified his comments to reporters, saying, "We are finalizing an agreement and I would expect it to be done soon."

The inability to strike a deal with the church has impeded the Port Authority from building the 16-acre site's southern foundation wall and finalizing designs for an underground security screening center. Negotiations stalled over the funding for and exact location of the new church.

[NYC4Life]

Just about all of the elements on the site are on track and work is progressing.

[America 117]

wow this tower is going up fast.
and it seems like only yesterday they started to work on it!

[NYC4Life]

After so long to start construction, It pretty much was yesterday :haha:

[Zerton]

Are those transit supports going to be exposed? I guess my question is: did calatrava design those too?

[America 117]

After so long to start construction, It pretty much was yesterday :haha:

:haha: :haha: :haha: :haha:

[NYguy]

Are those transit supports going to be exposed? I guess my question is: did calatrava design those too?


Compare with the rendering:

http://panynj.com/wtc/drp/gallery/images/WTC_july10_2.jpg


http://panynj.com/wtc/drp/gallery/images/WTC_july10_3.jpg


http://panynj.com/wtc/drp/gallery/images/WTC_july10_5.jpg


http://panynj.com/drp/images/gallery/wtcth/2005/08/ConcourseLookingEast.jpg

[photoLith]

Now thats cool! I can finally see the site taking shape, up till recently it all just looked like one big mess but now its starting to have some conformity. It seems though that the curvature at the top of the columns is more abrupt in real life then it is in the renderings.

[CoolCzech]

What am I missing here? All the news stories are about deadlock at the WTC site, about bureaucratic mismanagement... yet the site is veritable bees' nest of activity...

[NYguy]

What am I missing here? All the news stories are about deadlock at the WTC site, about bureaucratic mismanagement... yet the site is veritable bees' nest of activity...

If there is progress, there's no story, as far as the media is concerned. It's only headline-grabbing when something goes wrong.

[RockMont]

If there is progress, there's no story, as far as the media is concerned. It's only headline-grabbing when something goes wrong.







Yes It's about high time this cat said something positive about it. Furthermore, I am sick and tired of these idiots in the media, reporting on nothing but cost overruns, delays and rumours of scaling back, and on and on.

JUST GET THE THING BUILT! AND WITH NO STOPPAGES IN BETWEEN!



Now you know why I wrote this.

[Dac150]

I can see just by looking at those few arches that this new concourse is going to be amazing. Obviously a much different approach than the former one, but regardless it seems that they are utilizing the 'underground' more and making the concourse extend deeper. I'm really getting more and more excited as each day passes. The kind of progress that we've all been wanting to see is now right before our eyes.

[pattali]

New photo from Joe at http://www.joewoolhead.blogspot.com/ .
Awesome !

PS : Can someone explain me in the first aerial photo from top of WTC7 what is the iron beams alignment just right of freedom tower ? Is it stairs ? did you notice that ?

[pattali]

If you need another webcam for WTC site , try this one :

http://rebuildgroundzero.org/webcam/rgz_000.jpg?1216200441816

[Independence]

http://www.earthcam.net/users2/interface.php?i=0&id=445&projectid=202&clientid=158"]http://www.earthcam.net/users2/interface.php?i=0&id=445&projectid=202&clientid=158

I like this one. (Also featured in my signature):D

It seems to undergo some maintenance right now... last pic update: July 12th, 2008

[NYC4Life]

NY1

Governor, Mayor Want 9/11 Memorial To Be WTC Priority

http://www.ny1.com/ny1/content/images/live/144/287790.JPG

July 19, 2008

Governor David Paterson sided recently with Mayor Michael Bloomberg that the September 11th Memorial should be the top priority at the World Trade Center site.

Paterson and Bloomberg want the memorial built in time for the 10th anniversary of 9/11.

Last month, the head of the Port Authority suspended all construction deadlines for the site.

But after meeting with Bloomberg, Paterson now says they will work together to get the memorial finished more quickly.

Bloomberg is the chairman of the World Trade Center Memorial Foundation, which has raised $350 million.

[CoolCzech]

Well, seeing how Bloomberg is a multibillionaire and all, maybe he can pony up the money to pay for the memorial...

[Islander]

Sadly, generous people don't tend to become billionaires. :dunno:

[Zerton]

any new pics? I want to see that transit concourse more built up!

[neverdone]

Will the frame of this building be completely steel? I read somewhere a few years back that the first floors above the ground would be completely concrete to ward off potential car bombers?

[CoolCzech]

Silverstein on WTC Progress, via Regis
Tuesday, July 22, 2008, by Joey

Regis Philbin, speaking just seconds ago on TV about bumping into Larry Silverstein at Midtown restaurant II Tinello yesterday: "I say, 'How's it going down there?' And he says, 'Well...we can't even dig a hole straight.'" [CurbedWire]

[CoolCzech]

Speaking of cutbacks at thesite, did anyone catch this tidbit:

Port Authority changes design of WTC transit hub
The agency aims to save hundreds of millions of dollars by making the roof over the planned transit hub static instead of retractable.
July 01. 2008 11:04AM

(AP) - The World Trade Center site's owner announced a major design change to its overbudget transit hub, just one day after it said most projects at ground zero are delayed and will cost more.

Chris Ward, executive director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, said Tuesday that the winged dome of Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava's roof will no longer be retractable. The move is expected to shave hundreds of millions of dollars from the hub's budget. The hub was once budgeted at $2.2 billion, and estimates have gone as high as $3.4 billion.

Mr. Calatrava had designed the dome to open, hoping a sliver of light would shine down into the atrium every Sept. 11 at the time the terrorist attacks occurred. The architect's office declined comment Tuesday.

Who is responsible for the World Trade Center setbacks? Click here and tell us what you think.
©Copyright 2008 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

[philvia]

lol yea should be a few pages back... or maybe im thinking the wrong forum :sly:

retractable roof was a money waster i could care less if its gone.

[Lecom]

Exactly. About damn time they made that decision.

[Lt. Washburn]

Can anyone get to the site for new photos?

[pattali]

The survivors staircases has been removed from WTC 7 to the memorial, approximately at the south tower base.

http://rebuildgroundzero.org/webcam/rgz_000.jpg?1216980829293

[NYguy]

Speaking of cutbacks at thesite, did anyone catch this tidbit:

Port Authority changes design of WTC transit hub
The agency aims to save hundreds of millions of dollars by making the roof over the planned transit hub static instead of retractable.
July 01. 2008 11:04AM

Yeah, we've discussed that a while back, it was the first of the final decisions to be made. And it was about time.

[NYguy]

http://downtownexpress.com/de_273/workcontinues.html

Work continues on most W.T.C. projects

http://downtownexpress.com/de_273/untitled.jpg

By Julie Shapiro
July 18 - 24, 2008

Far below street level, towering white arches form a tunnel that will one day shepherd commuters beneath the World Trade Center site.

The arches mark a passage that will connect Santiago Calatrava’s W.T.C. PATH station to the World Financial Center. They are the first piece of his design to take shape inside the World Trade Center site, and they recall the white wings he designed to rise above the PATH station.

The steady progression of arches crossing the site from West St. toward Church St. is just one project of many on the 16-acres of construction. Nearly a month after the Port Authority announced that the new World Trade Center is millions over budget and years behind schedule, work pushes forward on many, but not all of the layered and interconnected projects that will eventually deliver five skyscrapers, a train station,a memorial, a museum and a performing arts center.

On Monday, the bathtub for Towers 3 and 4 was filled with Silverstein’s construction equipment, but while some work was going on at Tower 4, very little was happening at Tower 3. An official said he had seen almost no progress at Tower 3 over the past several months. Silverstein received a six-month extension on Tower 3 to redesign it for Merrill Lynch, but those talks reportedly fell through earlier this month. A Silverstein spokesperson declined to comment.

The biggest rush is in the northeast corner of the site, where Tower 2 will rise. The Port Authority is excavating that site and was supposed to turn it over to Silverstein Properties by July 1, but the Port missed the deadline. For 16 to 20 hours a day, giant jackhammers called “hoe rams” pound into the bedrock, breaking it into smaller chunks that bulldozers cart away, clearing space for the foundation of the tower.

The Port is paying Silverstein $300,000 for each day the site is late. By the end of July, the Port will owe Silverstein Properties $9.3 million. If the delay stretches to the end of August, that number will double to $18.6 million.

Steve Coleman, Port Authority spokesperson, said this week that the Port plans to turn the site over sometime in August. Along with the Tower 2 site, the Port also has to finish excavating a wedge of land called the Tower 4 offset, which abuts the No. 1 subway box.

The Port also missed the deadline for turning the site for Towers 3 and 4 over to Silverstein at the end of last year and wound up paying Silverstein $14.4 million for the delay.

One of the Port’s biggest feats this week was to move the Survivors’ Staircase from its perch along Vesey St. down into the southwest bathtub. The staircase will eventually be incorporated into the 9/11 museum because it served as an escape route for some office workers on 9/11. The Port had to move the staircase because it was blocking the gate at Greenwich and Vesey Sts. that trucks will use to bring materials to the Freedom Tower. The stairs also moved earlier this year, again to clear the way for construction.

The staircase now sits beneath what will become the memorial, filling much of the western portion of the site. Wooden markers trace the original footprints of the Twin Towers, with an American flag planted at one edge of Tower 1. When the memorial is complete, reflecting pools will fill the footprints.

To the north of the memorial, steel beams for the Freedom Tower are rising, marking the perimeter of what will be the tallest building in the city, at 1,776 feet. Two tower cranes work from the center of the building, lifting forms into place for concrete pouring. One worker recently perched near the outside of the concrete core, sawed a piece of wood and then lit a cigarette. Smoking on construction sites has come under increased scrutiny since the fatal fire at the former Deutsche Bank building last August, but the Port Authority is not subject to city codes.

In addition to the two tower cranes at the Freedom Tower, 23 other cranes work on the site. As Towers 2, 3 and 4 take shape, more tall tower cranes will arrive.

Over the past several months, the boundary of the construction site has extended west into Church St., encompassing the former temporary PATH station, which is being demolished. The old PATH escalators are now a tangle of steel, and bulldozers plow through the wreckage to scoop the pieces into a dumpster. The temporary station had to be demolished to make way for the final Calatrava station.

Remarkably the thousands of workers have thus far been able to avoid a major accident. But safety remains on their minds. On Downtown Express’s recent visit to the site this week, one young worker mistook a reporter for a safety inspector. The worker said he wanted to sign up for a fall prevention course.

[NYC2ATX]

see, now what's the problem here? I see no problems here...

[NYC4Life]

The biggest problem here appears to just simply be the PA's inability to excavate Tower 2's tub on time, and Tower 3's possible redesign over the fiasco with Merill Lynch.

[Kamatzu]

Can there even be any real progress on the Freedom Tower until its painfully slow north core rises to the same level as the south core?

[philvia]

they're both independent of each other so i dont see why the north core would affect the southern

[NYguy]

see, now what's the problem here? I see no problems here...

There really aren't any, just the media's need to declare it a disaster every now and then.

[colemonkee]

^ Which stems from the media's need to create news.

[NYC4Life]

Let us not be surprised if any of the elements at the site are completed "On Time."

[Kamatzu]

Let us not be surprised if any of the elements at the site are completed "On Time."
If it was on time, it was supposed to happen. Things that were supposed to happen don't make headlines... :(

[37TimPPG]

^ Which stems from the media's need to create news.

What's the old media saying? "It isn't news until WE say its news!"

I wouldn't be surprised if Freedom Tower and several other elements were completed "on time"

:rolleyes:

[RockMont]

What's the old media saying? "It isn't news until WE say its news!"

I wouldn't be surprised if Freedom Tower and several other elements were completed "on time"

:rolleyes:

That is why I insist to repeat this from a couple weeks back:

Yes It's about high time this cat said something positive about it. Furthermore, I am sick and tired of these idiots in the media, reporting on nothing but cost overruns, delays and rumours of scaling back, and on and on.

JUST GET THE THING BUILT! AND WITH NO STOPPAGES IN BETWEEN!


It only leads when it bleeds.

[NYguy]

From Action Jackson (http://flickr.com/photos/purposedriven4610/)

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3293/2707584501_cb93789973_b.jpg

[philvia]

i love when the webcam just turns back on and for about 15 minutes you can see really close up
http://i38.tinypic.com/2h55sox.jpg

[Dac150]

So I take it that those arches lead to the WFC/WTC tunnel?

[Lt. Washburn]

What goes on the left of that big wall?

[NYC4Life]

What goes on the left of that big wall?

The WTC Memorial.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8c/MemorialRelatedImages_06.jpg/800px-MemorialRelatedImages_06.jpg

[Puzzlecraft]

Cam1 and Cam2 are back up at the ground zero earthcam site.

[NYguy]

So I take it that those arches lead to the WFC/WTC tunnel?

I guess you could say they are the tunnel. There's a rendering posted a few pages back.

[Dac150]

I'd still like to know if they're going to keep that overpass that connects directly into 1WFC.

[NYguy]

I'd still like to know if they're going to keep that overpass that connects directly into 1WFC.

I believe it was decided that the bridge wll remain.

[Dac150]

I believe it was decided that the bridge wll remain.

That's good to hear. I've always admired that bridge, along with the former West Street Connector.

[NYguy]

http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/new-green-concrete-technology-taking/story.aspx?guid=%7B4A1D6540-0DCA-49D8-9E26-E18E364B272F%7D&dist=hppr

New 'Green' Concrete Technology Is Taking Hold at Manhattan High-Rise Construction Sites


- Major development projects in the New York City area are now choosing The iCrete(TM) System for all their concrete needs. - New, prestige Manhattan high-rise buildings by renowned architects Frank Gehry, Robert A.M. Stern, and Daniel Libeskind are among those designed with iCrete. - More than 30 sites in the New York City metropolitan area alone now have iCrete less than a year after its introduction at Freedom Tower at the site of the former World Trade Center. - iCrete offers greater quality control in concrete mixes, a significant reduction of greenhouse gases, better project control, and substantially lower costs.


NEW YORK, July 29, 2008

An historic breakthrough in concrete production is taking hold at construction sites all over Manhattan.

The iCrete(TM) System offers record strength as well as dramatic environmental benefits and cost efficiencies when used in all major construction applications, including commercial, residential, and infrastructure projects.

Prestige high-rise projects

The iCrete System has already been chosen for a variety of Manhattan's most prestigious high-rise projects, including:

Freedom Tower, designed by architects Daniel Libeskind and David
Childs.

Beekman Tower, designed by legendary architect Frank Gehry.

The Harrison, designed by the renowned architect Robert A. M. Stern.

11 Times Square, designed by Fox & Fowle, New York's premier office
tower architects.


Highest strength concrete

The iCrete System, which is being poured right now at Freedom Tower as it rises at the former World Trade Center site in lower Manhattan, delivers a reduction of up to 40 percent in green house gases, advanced mix designs, plus higher performance and quality control.

The concrete designed by iCrete for Freedom Tower is the highest strength concrete ever poured in the history of New York. Less than one year after iCrete was introduced at Freedom Tower, it has already been poured at more than 30 construction sites in the Greater New York Metropolitan Area, including Midtown, the Upper West Side, Lower Manhattan and Tribeca and beyond.

"There's concrete. And now there's iCrete," says Juan Carlos Terroba, Chief Executive Officer of iCrete. "This represents the first major shift in 100 years in the way concrete is prepared. And the iCrete System is available worldwide -- the rising costs of materials, labor and concrete itself have no geographic borders."

[Kamatzu]

How many i-Things is Apple going to inspire?!

Interesting article.

[RockMont]

How many i-Things is Apple going to inspire?!

Interesting article.



You mean the Big Apple?

[philvia]

lol i think he means apple the company...

i wish they would have copyrighted the whole "I" thing
its annoying now that every other product has that name.... to sound hip or whatever

[RockMont]

Well since this subject involves the new World Trade Center, it might as well be about the "Big Apple".

[CoolCzech]

I believe it was decided that the bridge wll remain.

Oh have they? I'm glad to hear that: it is a tangible reminder of what used to be there, a much more effective & affecting one than that ruined staircase at the new 2 WTC site, for example, ever could be....

[CoolCzech]

From Action Jackson (http://flickr.com/photos/purposedriven4610/)


http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3293/2707584501_cb93789973_b.jpg

I wonder just how much progress there has to be on this site before the media finally drops its schtick that the redevelopment is a "disaster"?

[Lt. Washburn]

The WTC Memorial.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8c/MemorialRelatedImages_06.jpg/800px-MemorialRelatedImages_06.jpg

Er, yes. But I meant the parts that aren't the footprints. The rest is at ground level. Will there be a lot of tunnels and plumbing for that stuff, or will there be more accessible space for the public somehow? Backfill with dirt?

[theWatusi]

There is a pretty intensive conversation going on over at wirednewyork regarding the arches/transit concourse.

The site is really shaping up. I'm loving the visible progress and "seeing" how things will be laid out.

[CoolCzech]

I'm comparing the shape of the actual arches being put up, and the renderings, and find that the actuals seem much flatter than the illustration. Is that just an optical illusion, or maybe the arches are actually in a different spot than those in the rendering?

[Kamatzu]

I think we've come to the conclusion that the actual design must have changed from 2004 - when the renderings were drawn up.

[NYguy]

I think we've come to the conclusion that the actual design must have changed from 2004 - when the renderings were drawn up.


That's been stated a few times the past couple of years. Due to costs, Calatrava's desing was altered, but still keeps within the "vision" he has for the terminal.

[Lecom]

Meh, it's close enough and will look kickass either way, and if it shaves off costs and speeds up construction while maintaining a decent design - I say go for it.

[Lecom]

I wonder just how much progress there has to be on this site before the media finally drops its schtick that the redevelopment is a "disaster"?

Aside from bribing the journalists, I don't see when the media cryfest will stop.

[RockMont]

I gave up on that, a long time ago. All the media cares about is ratings, the bottom line, and whose putrid story broke first. They don't care about the facts, or what's really important. They only care about what attention they bring to themselves.

[NYguy]

Aside from bribing the journalists, I don't see when the media cryfest will stop.

Only when the huge frames are soaring into the sky will they lose credibility on that. The general public looks, and sees there are no towers there, so they assume nothing has been done.

[Lecom]

^And you bet there will be people saying "Jeez, why couldn't they have hurried up and done it a year ago", without realizing that preparing the foundations is a tedious process.

[NYguy]

More images from the Port Authority of the Calatrava hub connector...


http://panynj.com/wtc/drp/gallery/images/WTC_july18_3.jpg


http://panynj.com/wtc/drp/gallery/images/WTC_july18_2.jpg


http://panynj.com/wtc/drp/gallery/images/WTC_july18_1.jpg


http://panynj.com/wtc/drp/gallery/images/WTC_july18_4.jpg


http://panynj.com/wtc/drp/gallery/images/WTC_july18_5.jpg


http://panynj.com/wtc/drp/gallery/images/WTC_july18_6.jpg

The early rendering

http://panynj.com/drp/images/gallery/wtcth/2005/08/ConcourseLookingEast.jpg

[scalziand]

I can't quite tell if the arches are being installed at an angle or not.:shrug:

[Swede]

Off-topic posts moved to the relevant thread (http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=155078) in Forum Issues.

[aaron38]

What does that look like from street level? Will it be a big skylight? It doesn't look like there would be anything above it.

[pattali]

A question partially off topic

what is exactly in red circle and in blue circle ?

from

http://mathias.attali.free.fr/bldg/Mega1.jpg

[NYguy]

What does that look like from street level? Will it be a big skylight? It doesn't look like there would be anything above it.

There will be a street above it.

[Lecom]

And so Ground Zero got its first iconic element.

[Lecom]

double post

[Realthang]

A question partially off topic

what is exactly in red circle and in blue circle ?



Blue:

Slurry wall re-inforcement. That section is specifically for the 911 memorial where the flat structure will be the west wing of the memorial.

Red:

Used in the construction of the route 9a underpass. Probably a roof section.

[NYguy]

From weallude (http://flickr.com/photos/weallude/)

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3094/2716535627_170d4d1415_b.jpg

[Lecom]

Seems like in a couple of months we will finally have most of the structure be at street level, not just steel and the core. The passageway is already there, and the tower oprtion looks like it will catch up soon.

[NYguy]

Maki: "I'll get you Freedom Tower. Someday I'll design a Tower 4 to rise above them all, and all New York will bow down before it's might..."

http://www.pbase.com/nyguy/image/101045388/original.jpg

[STERNyc]

I think Maki's just trying to find his building among the other wood blocks. For such an important site Maki's boring box is a disgrace.

[Dac150]

For such an important site Maki's boring box is a disgrace.

As far as boxes go, Maki's tower raises the bar in terms of style an shape. Compare his tower to 1 Liberty Plaza and you'll see what I mean (not bashing either tower, I love them both). I also think people will highly admire the facade, and in the end I think that'll make the tower as a whole hit or miss.

[meh_cd]

I think Maki's just trying to find his building among the other wood blocks. For such an important site Maki's boring box is a disgrace.

I kind of like his tower. It can't compare to the others, but it's interesting how the building looks different depending on the viewers' location.

[NYguy]

I also think people will highly admire the facade, and in the end I think that'll make the tower as a whole hit or miss.

The facade of Tower 4 will be its distinguishing feature, whereas the other towers will have destinctive designs. Maki's tower will be the shiniest, probably more of a match to Ghery's Beekman St tower.

[Dalton]

Geez. What do some of you guys want? Understated elegance or Dubai on the Hudson? You can't have five office towers of this size all competing with each other for the flashiest (tackiest) design. I see Maki's "boring box" as a necessary exposition.

[Zerton]

I don't think it's boring.

[Nowhereman1280]

Oh wow this building is a lot farther along than last time I saw this thread. Is that the core I see peaking out of the hole on the last page? Sorry for asking what is probably and obvious question, but I haven't seen this thread much for a few months.

[NYC4Life]

The core reached above grade about 2 months ago.

[aaron38]

There will be a street above it.

Thanks. Then I saw this drawing on the first page and it makes a lot more sense.

http://www.pbase.com/nyguy/image/64463214/large.jpg

[NewRussia]

Will there be a mezzanine in the FT by the looks by that rendering it kind of looks like has one but i could be wrong.

[CoolCzech]

Yeah, it looks like it... unfortunately there won't be any views to the outside world like the old Twins had. On the other hand, neither the GE Building at Rockefeller Center nor the ESB have a view, either.

[Lt. Washburn]

I hope they build this like the Trump Tower in Chicago. So that the bottom portions are relatively finished, even having glass behind the construction elevator, as soon as possible. I think it would do wonders for the site if they get it looking organized and pretty even before the buildings top out. How realistic that is, I don't know...

[pattali]

Sorry for posting here, but I can't find thread about WTC memorial (Since admin remove NYC forum :yuck: )

Did you note on WTC Earthcam that roof on Path Track is removed , just take a look at http://www.earthcam.net/users2/interface.php?id=445&projectid=202&clientid=158 , near old south tower . Did you have more informations ?

TIA

[Kram]

I agree I can't find anything anymore. Where are all the old posts

[CoolCzech]

http://www.lowermanhattan.info/
August 7, 2008

Rebuilding the WTC from the Bottom Up


The east bathtub now descends about 85 feet below grade
Now is the phase of construction that seems invisible -- at least from street level. Although more than a half-million tons of soil, rock, and debris have been excavated, with thousands more to go, the World Trade Center (WTC) site’s “east bathtub” sometimes seems like a slow-changing void instead of the bustling construction site it is.

Excavation and foundations is the work at hand -- the phase that Sean Johnson calls “the least understood part of building.” Johnson is vice president of construction at Silverstein Properties, the developer of WTC Towers 2, 3, and 4. After his work building the Time Warner Center in midtown, Johnson was hired by Silverstein to help erect [b]the equivalent of three Empire State Buildings within a four-block area.

“It’s unfortunate that no one can see everything that goes on below grade, because it’s so very intricate,” says Johnson. “What we’re doing is not mass excavation, where you just blast or hoe ram large areas of earth and rock, layer by layer. It’s more precise site excavation that has to be surveyed and carefully planned, so it takes a little bit more time.”

The east bathtub pit that now descends about 85 feet below Church Street is the result of nearly two years of heavy excavation the Port Authority that began in late 2006. The work followed a formal agreement with Silverstein that required the Port to turn over fully excavated east-bathtub sites in 2008. The turnover deadline of January 1st, 2008 for “T3” and “T4” slipped to mid-February, while the “T2” site, scheduled for a June 30th handoff, is slated for late August.

The delays say a lot about the nature of such a massive excavation project. To reach its deadlines, the Port extended work hours to 20-hour days and maximized its trucking capacity to up to 100 36-ton dump trucks daily. But removing nearly seven acres of earth as deep as 120 feet down to bedrock is a job that couldn’t be rushed, and could only occur once the slurry wall was installed to encase the bathtub that keeps out the Hudson River.

For months now, Silverstein’s crews have been working at the T3


Sean Johnson is vice president of construction at Silverstein Properties and T4 sites in the east bathtub’s southern half, between Dey and Liberty Streets. On a recent tour, Johnson explained that while the site is mostly excavated, crews still have plenty of foundation work to do. At the southernmost end, crews are dewatering a deep pool left by an ancient glacial swirl. They are carving out the gorge and filling it with concrete so that a T4 footing can be planted there. (The gorge is so deep that excavation for the original, low-rise 4 WTC, which rose to just nine stories, did not reveal it.)
Elsewhere at the T3/T4 site, Johnson says that crews are blasting for underground fuel-cell sites, as well as the trenches where the towers’ footings are installed. The footings process involves drilling several narrow holes down to various depths, inserting explosives in each, covering the holes with multiple 3,000-pound blast mats, and signaling before detonating the charge. The loose rock is then excavated and lifted out by crane, and the process repeated until the bedrock below is exposed.

The T4 site is furthest along, with concrete installation underway since July to seal the footings’ bases. They vary in size, but can be as large as 450 feet square depending on the building design. That foundation work will gain speed in the coming months, while blasting at the T3 site is expected to continue through fall 2008.

At the bathtub’s north end, Port Authority crews are in the final weeks of T2 excavation near Vesey Street. More than 240,000 tons of fill have been removed, as has the trucking ramp that once helped speed the process. Now the Port, like Silverstein’s crews in the southern half, are using cranes at the edge of the pit to lift out the material.

“It’s a lot quicker if you can drive a truck in and ramp it out,” says Johnson, pointing out that work is active in every corner of the site. “We don’t have that luxury.”

As most New Yorkers know, the clock is ticking on the WTC site’s redevelopment, and Silverstein is working with the Port to help the agency expedite construction. This means overlapping foundation and superstructure work for the east-side towers, and closely coordinating adjacent WTC projects such as infrastructure, vehicular security center, and WTC Transportation Hub construction.

With the Port Authority at work on a more realistic WTC rebuilding schedule, Johnson and the Silverstein team, including contractor Tishman Construction, are continuing east bathtub excavation with some design alterations possible. But even though the Port’s announcement won’t be made until late September, Johnson says they won’t be waiting around.

[NYC4Life]

Let's hope the bathtub excavation will be completed by the end of this month.

[pattali]

http://www.earthcam.net/users2/interface.php?id=445&projectid=202&clientid=158

Now it is clear that the corner of N-East wall for waterpiece at the north tower begin to rise,

also roof from path track continue to be dismantle . A lot of work everywhere !

[RockMont]

With all this flurrry of activity going, I wonder what the sensationalistic, drive-by media will come up with to bitch and complain about. In terms of negative bogus news, that is.

[NYC4Life]

The media can't acknowledge the amount of progress taking place at the site. Instead of embracing it, they tend to just bash it and lead the public into believing no work is being done.

[RockMont]

The media can't acknowledge the amount of progress taking place at the site. Instead of embracing it, they tend to just bash it and lead the public into believing no work is being done.


My Point exactly. Thank God for the internet, where I can get camera shots of it first hand. I know that there is alot of misinformation spread on here too, but at least I can access to visual evidence.