Quote:
Originally Posted by NYguy
Libeskind's "vision" was for the site plan itself, and that has never really been in doubt (except for moving the Freedom Tower a bit). Everything is where it has always been planned. It was Libeskind's desire to actually design the buildings that got him shut out. The 1776 ft was Libeskind's all the way. But I didn't buy that SOL reference from either of the last versions, and I certainly don't buy it now. Also, a lot of people think Fosters Tower 2 looks a lot like Libeskinds placeholder. But I think it actually has as much or more in common with the Freedom Tower that's being built now.
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The whole architectural "contest" was sadly just a dog and pony show for Silverstein to build the exact design he proposed a week after 9/11. I am sorry, but the WTC designs are just god awful dreck. Each is pure 1980's Houston in style. David Childs is a hack so his design is to be expected, but what is really disappointing is Foster's awful design. This is the same man that reinvented the skyscraper with the Gherkin? Who built the Hearst building in Midtown? The other two designs may be salvageable, but both are obviously bloated by Silverstein's desire to maximize floorspace.
Please check how the new skyscrapers that are being built and proposed in Chicago, Paris, London and Dubai and tell me with a straight face that the new WTC designs are anything but utterly banal. They would have been interesting in 1985 not 2007. They represent an utter failure of civil society and vision in New York and are an insult to those who died that day.