Blogtrek

The New World Trade Center

Today six designs for a new World Trade Center were publicized. I looked at them, and they seem similar to each other, but I do have definite preferences among them. I suppose half the bloggers in the world will be commenting on the new designs, so here is my opinion of them, along with the one that is my favorite:

1. Plaza. I like the tall building in this design. We need a tall building of some sort to inspire us. There are four other moderately tall buildings which give a sense of mass. The design could have made better use of the blank space near the tower footprints, and the big tower seems separated from the others. I would give this design three stars (on a scale of 0-4).

2. Square. This one has a large open space, a huge trapezoidal courtyard, and a cylindrical 80-story tower. I don't like this one as well because of the cylindrical tower - it reminds me of some industrial building instead. I give this one two stars.

3. Triangle. This builds a building where the North Tower was. I hope this will be a memorial and museum! The tallest building is unusual, as though one put a Pez box on top of the tower. I find this design wanting in some respects, so I give it two stars.

4. Garden. Very high tower is a plus for this design. The footprints are left bare, and the buildings are connected together. Although I prefer box or Art Deco style buildings to pyramids, this one appeals to me a lot and I give it three and a half stars.

5. Park. There are interesting concepts in this design. An obelisk in the courtyard marks the memorial to those who died here. The four tall buildings are attractive and give a sense of protective warmth to those in the memorial area. The really tall building is thin, so not impressive looking from the east or west, and it seems to be hidden away from the rest, as though protecting it from some scourge from the water west of the city. I still like the design and give it three stars.

6. Promenade. I find this really attractive, with its sidewalks, four pillar buildings with give the area a feeling of structure and strength, and there are twin towers within them. The towers could have been higher and wider, but the other aspects of this design, including a small memorial building within the structure, and the excellent use of space in an area made hard to design in by the desire to keep the footprints clear, make this my favorite design and I give it four stars.

There you have it - I vote for design number 6, World Trade Center Memorial Promenade. It will add to the beauty of the New York skyline. However, I also like designs 4 and 5. We will see what they decide.