GlobeSt.com UPDATE: Security Concerns Force Freedom Tower Redesign

NEW YORK CITY-Due to security concerns raised by the New York City Police Department last week , the Freedom Tower will be redesigned, according to Gov. George Pataki, causing a delay to the timeframe. When the plan was first announced, Pataki said he would like to see the top out of the steel by the fifth anniversary of the attacks.

World Trade Center developer Larry A Silverstein called meetings with Pataki and Mayor Michael Bloomberg “extremely productive. It is crystal clear that we all share one goal: delivering a spectacular and secure Freedom Tower as quickly as possible. I am confident that we have a process in place that will allow us to cooperatively address the challenges that lie ahead.” Silverstein recently filed an application for additional Liberty Bond funds for the WTC rebuilding effort.

“Security is clearly the paramount concern,” adds master plan architect Daniel Libeskind. “The Freedom Tower is being redesigned to meet these security concerns in conformity with the master plan. While the shape and details of buildings may change, the intent, spirit and direction of the master plan remain intact. It provides the project’s guiding framework, allowing the public process to move forward openly, aggressively and successfully.”

In late 2003, plans were unveiled for the 1,776-ft Freedom Tower, a collaboration between Libeskind, and David M. Childs, who was hired by Silverstein to give form to that design. It was designed to have 2.6 million sf of office space on 60 stories. The base was to be made of concrete and a structure of tension cables that will brace the building. At that time, Childs pinpointed a number of key elements the design team took into account including making the structure part of the city’s grid as well as making the building safe and ergonomically efficient. The tower design was expected to rise to 1,500 feet and be topped by a 276-sf spire.