NEW YORK | 200 Greenwich - 2 WTC | 1,226 FT | 55 FLOORS

[Roadcruiser1]

Once Two World Trade Center is leased, and undergoes under construction we only have one building left. Five World Trade Center. Once that is leased, and is under construction then we Skyscraper Nerds will be happy.

[NYguy]

Originally Posted by Welcome2Boise

What I'm curious about is what exactly the TV studio's needs are regarding floorplate space and ceiling height. Will that make the base look way different on the outside or largely the same with different innards? Will be fun to see what they come up with. Now silverstein, get it done!

As far as studios go, it's probably a space issue, meaning how much is available in the base. It will be shared with retail, and FOX would likely want some street level studios. And then there's the matter of other tenants for the building, which would likely be the upper floors. I don't think any changes would result in the tower itself looking much different, due to the fact that the most defining feature of the tower is the distinctive top.

[NYguy]

We'll see...


http://nypost.com/2015/04/21/as-midtown-prices-soar-companies-look-downtown-for-deals/

April 21, 2015

News that major corporations are considering a move from Midtown to a new 2 World Trade Center has reenergized the market and those who want to see all the fences down around the 16-acre site.

Asking rents are also rising because new buildings at the World Trade Center and Hudson Yards are priced higher...

[drumz0rz]

Originally Posted by Roadcruiser1

Once Two World Trade Center is leased, and undergoes under construction we only have one building left. Five World Trade Center. Once that is leased, and is under construction then we Skyscraper Nerds will be happy.

Has there even been any talk or renders or anything about a 5th tower? Will it even be called 5 WTC? I assume it would go where 130 Liberty Street was, behind that new park / vehicle screening center.

[Crawford]

Originally Posted by drumz0rz

Has there even been any talk or renders or anything about a 5th tower? Will it even be called 5 WTC? I assume it would go where 130 Liberty Street was, behind that new park / vehicle screening center.

We have no renders yet. 5 WTC will almost certainly be a hotel/condo building, and the Port Authority is supposedly not far away from a bidding process for the rights.

[NYguy]

http://www.nasdaq.com/article/21st-centu...ove-to-world-trade-center-20150424-00635

21st Century Fox, News Corp Considering Move to World Trade Center


By Dow Jones Business News
April 24, 2015

The final tower planned at the World Trade Center redevelopment could be dramatically altered under a proposal being discussed by 21st Century Fox Inc. and News Corp, which are considering a move to the site, according to people familiar with the talks.

The media companies and developer Larry Silverstein have brought in avant-garde Danish architect Bjarke Ingels to redesign 2 World Trade Center in the event of a move. Mr. Ingels, co-designer of Google Inc.'s planned new headquarters expansion in Silicon Valley, would replace renowned British architect Norman Foster as lead designer for 2 World Trade Center, these people said.

A deal is far from certain, as the companies are also considering a renewal of space at their midtown headquarters, 1211 Avenue of the Americas, which was built in 1973 as an expansion of Rockefeller Center. They expect to make a decision in coming months, these people said.

Even though the companies' current headquarters lease doesn't expire until 2020, it takes years to plan and construct a skyscraper. News Corp, which owns Dow Jones & Co., publisher of The Wall Street Journal, and 21st Century Fox were both part of the same company until 2013. Rupert Murdoch, chairman and chief executive of 21st Century Fox, is also News Corp's chairman.

If the companies indeed opted to move to the World Trade Center, it would mark by far the largest change to the closely watched rebuilding since the tower designs were unveiled in 2006.

Mr. Ingels, a young and relatively obscure architect when Mr. Foster first designed the tower a decade ago, has quickly vaulted to prominence in the field. Eccentric and fast-talking, he is known for abnormally-shaped buildings and sustainable design. The plans for Google, for instance, call for a series of low-slung giant glass bubble-enclosed office building, resembling Jetsons-style architecture, but filled with lush indoor plant life.

"Architecture at its best is really the power to make the world a little more like our dreams," he said at a design conference last fall. "You take something that is a wild idea, like pure fiction, and you suddenly change it into hard fact."

His design would keep the World Trade Center tower at about the same height of the 1,270-foot design by Mr. Foster, and it would be about the same 3 million square foot size, people familiar with the design said.

21st Century Fox and News Corp homed in on the Trade Center as an option given that there are few existing buildings with sufficient space for the companies, and development sites on the far West Side have generally grown expensive compared with lower Manhattan, people familiar with the search said.

The planned 2 World Trade Center tower would have plenty of room, as the companies would occupy about half of the 3 million square foot building. But the existing design was deemed problematic because it wasn't considered ideal for studio space at the base--it was designed with bank-trading floors in mind--and because of the amount of infrastructure on the ground-level related to the PATH train station at the site, the people said.

If the tower got off the ground, it would also be a coup for Mr. Silverstein, who halted construction of 2 World Trade at ground level while he searched for a major tenant. While he would still need to secure financing for the tower, if he did, it would be the final element of the 16-acre redevelopment plan that was crafted in the years after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

Mr. Silverstein's 4 World Trade Center is complete, as is One World Trade Center, which was developed by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. He restarted work on 3 World Trade Center last year, though still has much work to do: The 2.5 million square foot tower is just 20% leased.

Still, the interest by News Corp and 21st Century Fox signify a broader shift going on in lower Manhattan, which long struggled to attract new companies other than smaller firms looking for cheaper rents than in midtown.

In recent years, publishers Condé Nast and Time Inc. have opted to move there from midtown, as are advertising companies like GroupM, a unit of WPP PLC, which is moving to 3 World trade Center. In an unusual reversal of fortunes, many midtown landlords are now worried that young workers are warmer to downtown and places like Union Square, and they are worried about the large blocks of space tenants like Condé Nast have left behind.

[Submariner]

What a shame...hopefully they can keep the design mostly intact while redesigning the interior as necessary.

[NYguy]

We'll see what happens...

http://www.wsj.com/articles/21st-century...ng-move-to-world-trade-center-1429896442


The final tower planned at the World Trade Center redevelopment could be dramatically altered under a proposal being discussed by 21st Century Fox Inc. and News Corp, which are considering a move to the site, according to people familiar with the talks.

The media companies and developer Larry Silverstein have brought in avant-garde Danish architect Bjarke Ingels to redesign 2 World Trade Center in the event of a move.

His design would keep the World Trade Center tower at about the same height of the 1,270-foot design by Mr. Foster, and it would be about the same 3 million square foot size, people familiar with the design said.

[chris08876]

Ingels is a good choice. He has some very futuristic and well put designs. While the diamonds on the top are what made this, we may just get something better. Who knows... I just hope it doesn't go the way of 888 2nd in Seattle which originally had a jaw-dropping design, but now its rubbish.

I doubt Ingels would give us something thats budget designed. He did design the NYC Pyramid, so maybe he can pull a stunning design if this does happen. It will probably involve lots of building blocks, odd angles, and jagged edges, if his track record is anything to go by.

[SkyscrapersOfNewYork]

I dont think he was a good choice...i want a client who wuill take the building as is. This tower brings the site together anything else would just be a let down. im hoping for the best but im not optimistic.

[chris08876]

Possibly cost has to do something with it. Assuming News Corp and the rest follow. Its still going to be very expensive, but I have this odd feeling its because of price. Even though they said differences in the floors, that could be modified without changing the whole tower. A redesign sure, but keep the top portion and the rest but focus on the interior.

In Silverstein's case though, he's waited so long, and if the deal goes through, its a win for him, for his dream of finishing the complex before his lifes over, and for the city. I think he will take a chance with it. Given its name, location, this will probably be Ingels biggest challenge yet. Lots of lsd will be needed to come up with something that will beat the current 200 Greenwich design.

If it means getting a tenant and seeing the WTC complex one step closer to completion, I think it beats them going to the West Side. We still have WTC 5, but Tower 2 needs to rise. Been too long. We have assurance that it will be the same height, and its up to whoever designs it, IF the deal goes through, to make it happen. What would be a sacrilege is if this was 700 feet suddenly, but thankfully its not.

Now a nightmare scenario would be if they picked Kaufman or Peter Poon. I would probably move to Madagascar and eat bugs due to the distress that would cause.

[Zapatan]

"about" the same height and square footage eh? You'd think with their obsession with symbolism they would at least hike the pinnacle up to 1362' to match the old 2WTC. I really really really hope they don't bastardize it. Tower 1 and 3 already suffered enough from budget cuts/ design changes. This building and the WTC site can't afford that.

Ingels is a good choice. He has some very futuristic and well put designs. While the diamonds on the top are what made this, we may just get something better. Who knows... I just hope it doesn't go the way of 888 2nd in Seattle which originally had a jaw-dropping design, but now its rubbish.

+ 1, but I'm not sure how much better it could get than the diamonds. Plus the Seattle building's design is not final although that was a bummer.

[Guiltyspark]

Good feelings gone...

[davidinasia]

Originally Posted by chris08876

Ingels is a good choice. He has some very futuristic and well put designs. While the diamonds on the top are what made this, we may just get something better. Who knows... I just hope it doesn't go the way of 888 2nd in Seattle which originally had a jaw-dropping design, but now its rubbish.

I doubt Ingels would give us something thats budget designed. He did design the NYC Pyramid, so maybe he can pull a stunning design if this does happen. It will probably involve lots of building blocks, odd angles, and jagged edges, if his track record is anything to go by.

It's difficult to understand how different any redesign could possibly be, given the foundation work already completed, which cannot be altered because it supports the transportation hub and the rest of the site. I can see Ingels reworking the floor plan layouts and maybe changing the height of the podium to better accommodate TV studios. Maybe the cladding and other aesthetic elements could be redone. But I just don't see how a fundamental redesign is even possible at this point. It seems to me that the scope for rework is very limited given the below grade levels already completed. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.

I agree that if the diamonds element from Lord Foster's design was lost that would be an absolute travesty. Not only the aesthetic aspect of it which is one of the most outstanding aspects of the entire site imho, but don't forget it has a symbolic meaning, the angle of the facets points towards the memorial site. That is one of the key elements of the Liebeskind plan and any attempt to mess with that needs to meet with a strong pushback. It would be a much greater loss than the cheapo spire on T1 or the lost crossbraces on T3.

[chris08876]

Thats kinda what I'm thinking. That it will be mostly floors and fixing the orientation of the space to accommodate those tenants since much of the floors where assuming financing/banking. The thing I'm wondering is with the diamonds. Wasn't the whole idea for light to reflect into the memorial pools at a certain time of day. Theres a bit of symbolism involved in the design. That should not be altered. So if they can, and this is hypothetical assuming the deal goes through, alter the interior but keep the top, and maybe if anything improve everything below that (top was really the best part, everything below is is okay, but its not stunning on the level of Verre for example), then I'd be fine with that.

I'm hopping its cladding though. I could see how that would work. Add some Ingel magic to maybe spice it up, but the top should remain the same. Last thing anybody wants is a flat roof. Although it would I guess vaguely attempt to mimic the original trade centers, but if thats the case, just replicate tower 1 all over again. This is just fantasy talk at this point, but I'd be happy with another tower thats identical.

[sterlippo1]

Originally Posted by chris08876

This is just fantasy talk at this point, but I'd be happy with another tower thats identical.

that's the only thing i could accept if they got rid of the diamond then they would have to go higher to meet 1WTC. I'm hoping it's just interior stuff, i dont even want them messing with the cladding.

[NYguy]

The thing about the original design for tower 2 is that it was designed with a specific type of tenant in mind. No one imagined that it would be the media companies relocating to the World Trade Center. But in a decade, Silverstein hasn't been able to get a tenant for the tower. Within a few more years, that likely would change. But Silverstein aint getting any younger, and would like to see the rebuilding complete. So here's a chance to get the tower built (and I don't think Silverstein himself is married to any particular design).

With that said, they will try to work around the foundation to design a tower for a very specific tenant, assuming the lease is finalized.

So it just comes down to this - if the design is a better one, everyone will love it. If it's a worse design, everyone will hate it.

[Dac150]

Design-wise, short of anything radical, I'll take what we can get at this point just to finally fill that gap. News Corp would add a lot of vibrancy to the immediate area - and lets face it, the Investment Banks aren't coming. Hope something is worked out.

[Islander]

News Corp? I guess now we know what the crown redesign will look like.




LOTR wiki

[Enigmatism415]

Would it make a dent if a bunch of us wrote letters to Fox and/or Silverstein?