[De Minimis NY]

I’ve come around to appreciate the way Ingles’ version looks on the skyline and actually prefer it to Foster’s diamonds at this point. Foster’s tower is far more elegant and would unquestionably be my choice if we were starting from scratch, but it’s more of a centerpiece than a complement to WTC 1 and the overall complex that’s already set in stone. Ingles’ design is less exciting, but it creates a better relationship between towers 1 and 2, which pays homage to what we lost and helps to pull the whole complex together better. It’s the less flashy, but more wise choice to close the complex out.

That said, though, I remain extremely concerned about the depth of the base of the tower. I think this will look great from a distance, but on the pedestrian level it will be overwhelming (not in a good way) with that MASSIVE flat wall of glass facing the transportation hub—just look at how long it is compared to the base of WTC 1 in the schematics above.

Was Foster’s design that egregious in that respect? (I know it’s the same footprint, but at least the diamonds design had the large indents running down the structure to break the walls up). I’m very concerned that this is going to make that whole side of the building feel barren and lifeless. This tower’s role on the skyline is paramount, but they have to keep in mind that it’s not fronting some random street in the financial district, it’s the entryway to the plaza and frame around the transportation hub. We’ve just spent way too much time and money on creating a world-class pedestrian space down there to totally ignore the way this thing interacts with the street.

I’m just hopeful that this is still an early version of the base and that some further refinement will break up the façade down there in some way.