Posted Sep 24, 2009, 12:43 PM
|
 |
New Yorker for life
|
|
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Borough of Jersey
Posts: 57,070
|
|
Now that we are in this phase of construction, it's worth going back to look at just what is planned, specifically for the lower levels...
http://www.wtc.com/about/freedom-tower/freedom-tower-design
Quote:
Base
The tower rises from a cubic base whose square footprint - 200 feet by 200 feet - will be the same size as the footprints of the original Twin Towers. The base will be clad in more than 2,000 pieces of prismatic glass, each measuring 4 feet by 13 feet 4 inches, with varying depths. The design utilizes the optical properties of prismatic glass to reflect, refract, and transmit light in various spectrums, creating a dynamic, shimmering glass surface that drapes the tower's base. The prismatic glass was developed over the course of two years in conjunction with some of the world's top glass manufacturers, who worked with architects to find ways of constructing prismatic glass at a scale not formerly made.
Plaza
An architectural conception with precedents ranging from Bryant Park and the steps at the Metropolitan Museum to the base of Renaissance palazzos will allow the building to flow out into the plazas to create areas for people to gather, sit, relax, and reflect. Ribbons of stainless steel will cascade down from behind the prismatic glass façade of the base to form a series of step terraces that integrate the horizontal surfaces of the plaza into the vertical surface of the building. The terraces, made of textured stainless steel, will be shaded by a ring of trees that further humanizes the scale of the space. The plaza will be richly textured with small sets of granite cobblestones.
Generous open spaces will be filled with trees, water, and places of respite for tenants and the estimated 3 million annual visitors to the WTC site. Designed in collaboration with landscape architects Peter Walker and Partners, these areas will connect the tower with adjacent neighborhoods and allow views and access into the memorial. Glass walls at the plaza edges will provide protection from the wind. While incorporating enhanced security measures, the building will remain open and accessible.
Antenna
The antenna will consist of two major components: a 408-foot mast and a communications platform ring. The mast is a hybrid structure, consisting of a steel tower supporting the antennae and a special protective enclosure, called a radome, which will be transparent to radio waves. The steel tower will have eight sections stacked vertically and decreasing in width, while the radome enclosure will be formed of a modular, fiberglass composite sandwich panel system arranged in an octagonal antiprism. This folded-plate enclosure structure is the first of its kind to be used in antenna construction. The panels will work as simple plates in bending, as is the case for most cladding, but the folded-plate structure will exploit the spatial geometry and in-plane sheer stiffness of the ensemble of the panels to resist wind loading. The geometry of the radome shell is based on a repeating modular system that allows for easy replacement and erection and also creates a protected maintenance area that is unique in the antenna industry.
At the base of the mast, a tetrahedral lattice ring will support point-to-point microwave dishes, steerable Electronic News Gathering antennas, and pole-type radio communication antennas. To add more support against wind, eight radio-frequency (RF) transparent Kevlar guy cables will be connected from the mast back to the ring. Window-washing equipment will be incorporated into the antenna ring structure. Because of its circular shape, this design will make it possible to service the building with only three maintenance units. The ring and mast structures were created in conjunction with structural engineers from the Stuttgart firm of Schlaich Bergermann und Partner.
When lit at night, the mast's surface will appear as a faceted surface, while a beacon at the top will send out a horizontal light beam that can be seen from miles away.
Curtain Wall
For the curtain wall, architects worked with industry experts to develop glass of a new monumental scale that is capable of withstanding the wind pressure experienced by a super-tall building while also meeting stringent security requirements. The five-foot by 13-foot-four-inch insulated glass panels will span the full floor-to-floor height with no intermediate mullion - a first in skyscraper construction. These glass panels will allow for maximum daylighting and impart monumental scale to the project.
Lobbies
Entrances on all four sides of the buildings, each 60 feet high and ranging in width from 30 feet on the east and west sides to 50 feet on the north side and 70 feet on the south side, will activate the building at street level.
The west portal will provide entrance to both the lobby of the observation deck on the concourse level and the transportation infrastructure. Visits to the observation deck will begin with an extraordinary elevator ride. The "scenic" elevators will transport visitors vertically through a super-tall building, with the 1,300-foot ascent/decent taking approximately 50 seconds. The east portal will provide access for office tenants and restaurant patrons who will then ascend to the top of the building.
The north and south entrances, which will provide access for commercial office tenants, will be marked by an array of dichroic glass panels. These panels, composed of multiple layers of clear, etched and dichroic glass, will draw on the spectral qualities of light to create vibrant color patterns across the surfaces of the lobby. The design draws on the results of a year-long research project into the optical effects of dichroic glass in transmission and reflection.
The grand lobby will encircle the central core and be filled with natural light that will enter the space through the east and west entrances as well as through apertures in the north and south walls. This light-filled lobby will provide a setting for changing art exhibits of various mediums.
|
__________________
NEW YORK is Back!
“Office buildings are our factories – whether for tech, creative or traditional industries we must continue to grow our modern factories to create new jobs,” said United States Senator Chuck Schumer.
|
Prev
However, noone should doubt that this building is for all intents and purposes, better than the originals. I take it you were part of the "rebuild as was" crowd. I myself wasn't thrilled they didn't build but one, but now I quite like the complex currently under construction. I remember watching a movie called "Click" and they had a clip of new york with new twin towers which acatually looked quite cool.
Linear Mode
