[Qnpqbpac]

No, my name's not John Kerry. But I agree with Kaoisa's point that what was destroyed should have been rebuilt even better the next time around. I felt strongly about this when the LMDC was asking people for their input. I said that anything less is a victory for Osama. However, I also can see the point of doing things the way they're doing them.

First of all, people are apprehensive now, and getting tenants into two, say, 120 story towers now would be extremely difficult. The builders and property owners might actually lose money.

Secondly, a building "merely" 70 stories tall is a lot easier to evacuate.

Ideally, being a native NYer for most of my life (and now a so-called "Angeleno"), I want to see NY keep the status of the city with the tallest buildings. I'd also like it to be the city with the most beautiful, but the people in NY building these guys are too conservative. The Petronas Towers in Malaysia... now there's some innovative architecture. But I digress.

The problem is, NYC, indeed the US, is still a target. And as long as we are, people are going to be nervous working in anything past 50 stories. It sucks, but it's the reality. Asia in the meantime isn't arousing too much ire from anybody, and so they're all in competition now for the tallest buildings. Let them have the bragging rights. We have bigger fish to fry. Besides, as long as we can get to Mars before anyone else does, I'll still be happy ;-)

[RilmAlime67]

Add my vote to those wanting the Twin Towers restored. Am very disappointed at the mess being developed now. The Twin Towers were America's pyramids.

I want them back. Taller, stronger, safer. More spectacular.

[ZwHRoTTn]

To anyone who believes we are not building supertalls because of a fear of terrorism:

Please reconcile this with the fact that we have not built one anywhere in the US since Sears.

Could it be that the driving force is economics? It seems that developers have settled on the 700-900 foot range for the most efficient commercial skyscrapers. The supertalls built in foreign countries are heavily subsidized symbols of emerging economies.

If the WTC was a vacant site and there never was an Al Qaeda, do you think a developer would be putting up any 1300 ft buildings?

[shodulsilfeli]

I know dbhstockton but I don't like using paragraphs. I guess I'll give you some though. Thanks for your comment Rob. I don't think we should allow terrorist to scare us from building very tall buildings or make us limit the amount of floors a building has. What happened on 9/11 was terrible and we should show these people they can't change our way of life. We should always, especially New York, strive to build the greatest skyscrapers around. Just because terrorist can fly planes into our buildings doesn't mean we should stop building tall powerful skyscrapers. I just hope we won't allow these people to determine what we can and can't build.

-Kao

[benderkoz]

If you gave me some paragraph breaks and I might have read it. Otherwise, it looks, at first glance, like a waste of my time. Just one of those unwritten laws of the internet...

[Peabelilt]

:shock: In all my life I've never seen a forum topic so BIG http://forums.wirednewyork.com/viewtopic.php?t=1215 41 pages, wow. So enough of being amazed, on to what I going to say.

I think it's really nice and all that this new "Freedom Tower" is going to be 1,776 feet tall which will make it the tallest in the world and bring the title of tallest back to NYC but it's going to be like 70 stories or something right? That really sucks. There will of coarse eventually be buildings that surpasses the height of the Freedom Tower and this building won't really be so special. Just a building that's really tall.

I'm one of the people that want the original Twin Towers rebuilt or made even taller. IMHO the twin towers were the greatest structures ever built in the history of man. Even though there were buildings that would pass are towers in height (such as the Sears building in Chicago) nothing was as great as the Twin towers. They were two buildings each 110 stories totalling 220 stories. Not even counting the 10 underground floors and the other buildings of WTC. I wish the public had more input into what happens at the WTC site.

I was born in NYC but left as a baby. I first visited New York City in April of 2002. I was amazed at how great this city was and knew nothing in the world could compare. By the time I came to New York the WTC was long gone and the only thing left was a large hole in the ground. When I was at ground zero and thought of the buildings were once there and all the people that died it almost brought me to tears. I never got a chance to actually see the Twin Towers in person and it makes me so mad to think I'll never have a chance to see them as long as I live. I came to New York 8 months too late.

There is one design I hoped would win. It was called the World Cultural Center and which included two lattice-work towers. They were the closest thing to the twin towers and they wouldn't touch on the original footprints of the twin towers. They would even have memorials at the top of both towers and the towers would actually contain buildings within them kind of suspended in air. The whole design blew me away and I really hoped it would get picked.

Pataki said he didn't like the World Cultural Tower because it resembled the Twin Towers which I think is some real bullsh*t because that's like saying you just want to forget the towers and erase them from memory. Just like how all the tv shows and movies and even a video game Project Gotham Racing removed the twin towers because they didn't want to offend anyone. I understand that it might be hard for some of the family members but we shouldn't try to forget these buildings.

Some of the reasons that the WCC design wasn't picked wasn't even that big a deal. They were things that could've eventually been fixed. The buildings design should've been the most important thing not the whole plan like streets and things. I just really hope some how some way that great twin towers are built.

In 50 years the Freedom Tower won't be remembed for how great it is and definately not for how tall it is. The only thing the Freedom Tower will be remembered for is being the building that replaced the Twin Towers and maybe for being a building that's half spire.

Thanks to anyone who took the time to read this

-Kao

[cjOTw7ov]

Zippy I know how much you love this topic (j/k) so I hope you won't object if I mention for the benefit of those interested in pursuing it that there's an entire forum devoted to the subject which has gotten pretty lively lately with lots of pro- and anti- brickbats flying:

http://www.theopinion.com/newyorkcit...n/YaBB/YaBB.pl

[weluvjessicaalba]

Add my vote to those wanting the Twin Towers restored. Am very disappointed at the mess being developed now. The Twin Towers were America's pyramids.

I want them back. Taller, stronger, safer. More spectacular.

So you want them back, but you don't want THEM back... :?

[Vapepreab]

:roll:

an entire forum devoted to the subject And what subject is that? After browsing for 10 minutes, the only possible interest I can see is as an example of what happens to an unmoderated forum.

Almost every thread degenerates into a deluge of sophomoric insults by a host of aliases - most of which are centered around you. Since you never denied it, I assume you are Marcologic/Bennie B.

If this is the image you wish to present to the internet public, I won't stand in your way.

[xgnuwdd]

Good observation, Zippy.

[Clesylafabada]

Go to the Skyscraper Museum, and pretend you're a giant.

[economex]

Because of September 11th doesn't just mean fear of terrorism. Sept 11 accelerated a recession that was already underway. Remember how it affected the airline industry? Recessions lead to high vacancy rates. And don't forget that insurance companies have adjusted their rates to reflect statistics that were changed on Sept 11.

[erepsysoulpfbs]

Actually, am a member of the Skyscraper Museum and have been there twice since its opening. Check out its latest collection, which features a restored scale model of the WTC complex. Worth a visit.

[mxzjxluwst]

Yes you'er right Ninjahedge. It would be really expensive but I think it would be worth it. I'm not saying we should construct alot of Super skyscrapers but just in this special case. It's true that there hasn't been a supertall skyscraper built in the US since Sears ZippyTheChimp but there have been buildings that had been planned and were canceled because of September 11th.

[Laqswrnm]

I warned you about the brickbats. Anyway thanks.


Update: the brickbats have been removed, along with the sophomores, and the forum is no longer unmoderated. Still lively though.

[Fruriourl]

everyone on this forum wants them back!

[Lapsiks]

My point exactly.

Added expense of building per SF minus people wanting to work on the 83rd floor of a 200 story tower.......

$$$$$$

[KuznehikVasaN]

I'm not an America, so some people say that I don't know what I'm talking about, but I'm gone say it eitherway.
I agree with you. I think a larger version of the WTC has to be build. It will show how strong the US is. By rebuilding a new WTC, the US say that no organisation or whatso ever can get the American Dream down.

[Rqqneujr]

Well, there are other reasons besides just Osama you know.

First is, trying to build a structure like that. they are not jut magically created you know. Building a taller WTC would cost more for many reasons other than the simple fact that it is taller.

Also, a building that is twice as tall does not cost twice as much, it may cost 10 times more depending on how much is needed to be done.

Now, there are other reasons, one of which the original WTC had problems with.

Leasers. Tenants. PEOPLE! ->$Money$

You have to get investors in this thing. In order to get investors, you have to have some promise of a RETURN on the investment. In order to get that, on real estate, you have to be able to lease a good deal of the space out relatively quickly for a good long time.

the original WTC was built in the 70's and took 30 years to get fully leased. People simply did not want to lease ther for one reaosn or another.

Now add the whole terrorist thing (whether people should or shouldn't be afraid, it does not motter. We are a nation of people that do not put a 13th floor on a lot of buildings, what do you think this would do?).

People will not lease space on something they still feel may be a future target.

As for the current heights and all that. The building will not be the tallest. There are already serious plans for taller buildings around the world, so don't even let that get in your thoughts.

And we should all know that height isn't everything.

So we will see what comes of the project. But repeating the past is not any way of continuing into the future. Memory is nice, but sometimes getting out and doing something different is better.

You never know until you try.

[Bobobsdo]

mostly everyone in this city wants them back.and that's what matters...