The unveiling of the new buildings - Towers 2, 3, 4 - that will accompany the Freedom Tower at the redeveloped World Trade Center was met with excitement yesterday, proving there's nothing that beautiful computer renderings, a who's who of architects, and a healthy dose of optimism can't do. The NY Times updated its article about the announcement yesterday and also has an article about the pink elephant in the room: How slow progress has been at Ground Zero, thanks to battling egos and dollars on all sides.
James Gardner has an appraisal of the buildings in today's Sun; here's part of it:
In terms of design, none of the buildings, which are to rise along a resurrected Greenwich Street, is outstanding or even self-consciously "iconic," to use the buzz word of the hour. That is, they are not blatant in striving to make a self-serving and unmistakable mark on the skyline of Manhattan.This is understandable, given that their job is to play second, third, and fourth fiddle to the Freedom Tower, which will eventually cow them into subservience. And yet, none of them is bad — which is already something in New York — and each demonstrates a certain grace and distinction.
While these buildings will change a lot between now the moment they are finished, it is rather nice that there's something to be a little hopeful about for the upcoming anniversary.
More coverage about the new buildings from the NY Post, Daily News, amNew York and Wired New York's thread.
Photograph of, from left, architect Fumihiko Maki, developer Larry Silverstein, Governor Pataki, WTC "master planner" Daniel Libeskind, architect Lord Norman Foster, and architect Lord Richard Rogers from Dima Gavrysh/AP
