Freedom Tower

[Totojuice]

I'm wondering if it's possible for a scenario to exist in which the builders of the Freedom Tower in New York state all of the building specifics publicly (specifically height), yet plan to build considerably higher than the plans indicate. Is it possible for them to keep the actual height secret from the public (along with possible competitors in other cities, i.e., Burj Dubai)? Or does our system of public approval processes etc eliminate this possibility?

Second part to this question: Apparently cities in the U.S. are not permitted to build structures taller than 2,000 feet, per FAA regulations. How flexible is this rule? How legally bound are American builders to this rule?

[Kelvin]

North American design and approval procedures are pretty rigid - esp. with very tall structures. It would be difficult to get approval for something and not expect that it wouldn't become generally publicly available at some point. Tall structures, because there are numerous other considerations involved, can not just whimsically adjust their heights. Flight paths in and out of area airports are one obvious concern, but there a zoning regulations, amongst others.

The FAA 2000' limit is neither a law nor a maximum. It is simply a value above which special permitting is required. Below this value, a developer need only satisfy local FAA requirements for the particular airfield(s) involved or potentially affected.

If this were actually a law, as you questioned above, developers would be completely bound to it. Every bit as much as any other law or by-law.

[Daquan13]

Originally Posted by Totojuice

I'm wondering if it's possible for a scenario to exist in which the builders of the Freedom Tower in New York state all of the building specifics publicly (specifically height), yet plan to build considerably higher than the plans indicate. Is it possible for them to keep the actual height secret from the public (along with possible competitors in other cities, i.e., Burj Dubai)? Or does our system of public approval processes etc eliminate this possibility?

Second part to this question: Apparently cities in the U.S. are not permitted to build structures taller than 2,000 feet, per FAA regulations. How flexible is this rule? How legally bound are American builders to this rule?

What you see is what you get.

[ontheroad]

I doubt it, interesting scenario though