World Trade Trees
The trees for the 9/11 Memorial at the World Trade Center site are ready for their 60 mile trip to lower Manhattan. This short video shows you how.

http://www.wtc.com/media/

Architect of WTC museum in NYC dies

NEW YORK (AP) - The architect who designed the Sept. 11 memorial museum at the World Trade Center site in Manhattan and the site of Martin Luther King Jr.'s tomb has died.
J. Max Bond Jr. was one of the nation's leading black architects. He died Wednesday at age 73. His partner at his firm says
the cause was cancer.
Bond was an associate architect for the memorial to the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and principal designer of the below-grade museum under construction at ground zero.

He led the Architects Renewal Committee of Harlem before founding his firm. The committee built the Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change in Atlanta, where the civil rights leader is buried. His other works includes the Studio Museum of Harlem.
Bond is survived by his wife, two children and three grandchildren.

http://www.pr-inside.com/architect-of-wtc-...in-nyc-r1069881.htm

PA's Ground Zero plans prove agency has a lot to learn

By James McCaffrey

Thursday, March 26th 2009

During the past several months most Americans have become inured to the deficiencies of countless financial institutions. "Bailout" has become part of the lexicon. Not surprisingly, given many past performances, the Port Authority has recently joined this somewhat ignominious group by requesting federal dollars to fund various projects.

The request comes as the PA continues to justify extravagant and superfluous construction projects in the form of the 9/11 memorial and museum and the Calatrava transit hub.

Various estimates approximate the current cost of the memorial at levels near $1 billion and the transit hub at close to $3 billion. And, being that these are current estimates and that this is, after all, New York City, no one can realistically believe that these figures will not rise dramatically as the projects proceed.

It's time to rethink these plans.

A quick perusal of the plans for the memorial/museum complex reveals a grandiose design extending seven stories below street level. Building designers and safety experts have stated that such a structure has several inherent flaws.

First, it is a subterranean labyrinth with no obvious means of escape for those who will be 70 feet below ground. Access and egress will be a logistical problem under the best conditions. Under emergency conditions it turns into a nightmare. Many of the exits necessitate traveling on horizontal pathways for several hundred feet before an ascent begins to ground level. It will be a monumental task to evacuate such a structure during an emergency. And no one needs to be reminded that Ground Zero will remain the No. 1 terrorist target in the world.

The current proposal regarding the placement of the victims' names also fails to properly recognize those who were killed on that fateful morning. Ironically, the connection between the victims and 9/11 itself is absent. No affiliations such as those of first responders or members of the military will be listed. It also fails to list the victims' department, branch of service and their rank. Civilian victims will likewise have no affiliation, age or the floor where they worked listed next to their names.

Essentially, this memorial is a generic rendition that could represent just about any event.

The current proposal is also said to be a green project. Just the energy required to pump and heat the water integral to the design is more than enough to refute that claim. Additionally, the millions of dollars required every year to run the memorial is a colossal waste of money. One must also wonder how the waterfalls will remain safe and efficient during the cold, winter months.

Regarding the transit hub, many have questioned the need for such an extravagant and expensive design where relatively few passengers travel. The cost, which keeps spiraling upward, is prohibitive.

In addition, the glass-laden Calatrava structure is located directly above one of the proposed underground bus garages. It seems that the PA has not learned the security lessons of 1993, despite recently paying millions to the victims of that terrorist attack.

In the best of economic times, such projects would be dubious. In our present climate, they are unsustainable. A scaled down version of the transit hub would be more cost-effective and profitable in the long run.

A similar reassessment of the memorial/museum complex would likewise result in a safer, more responsible and less costly product. It would also be much closer to what the majority of 9/11 family members and most Americans have always sought: a simple, respectful and inspiring aboveground memorial that simultaneously records the events as they happened, and appropriately honors those who perished. It has always been our solemn duty to provide such recognition and now, more than ever, this worthy goal must be achieved.

McCaffrey, whose brother-in-law FDNY Battalion Chief Orio J. Palmer (Battalion 7) died on 9/11, is co-chairman of the Advocates for a 9/11 Fallen Heroes Memorial.

WTC Cheat Sheet


Construction is under way at ground zero—but not much of it. The Port Authority owns the land; Larry Silverstein has development rights—and they can’t agree on who will pay for further building. (Silverstein got $4.5 billion in insurance money after 9/11, but only $964 million remains.) Mayor Bloomberg will reportedly be holding a “summit” this Thursday to try to kick-start the process.

1. 1 World Trade Center
The former “Freedom Tower,” designed by SOM’s David Childs, will reach 102 floors, 1,776 feet tall; it was set to be finished by 2008, then 2011, now 2013. Tenants so far: Vantone, from China, and the State of New York. In April, TV stations pulled out of a deal to broadcast from the spire, though it’ll remain as a decoration. 2. 7 World Trade Center
Already completed; 52 stories, 741 feet tall; designed by David Childs. Tenants include Silverstein Properties, the Moody’s Corporation, Ameriprise Financial, and Fast Company magazine.

3. Arts center
Part of Daniel Libeskind’s original master plan; Frank Gehry is to design. Won’t be done until 2015 at the earliest; only one of four intended tenants is still committed. Land isn’t even available yet, because it’s to be built on what is now the path station’s temporary entrance.

4. PATH/Subway hub
Completion date set at 2007, then 2009, now 2014. Santiago Calatrava’s design was to feature enormous wings that could be opened to the sky—but now they’ll be fixed in place to save money. Last week, the Times noted “the striking incongruity between the extravagance of the architecture and the limited purpose it serves.”

5. 2 and 3 World Trade Center
Planned at 79 floors and 71 floors, to be done by 2011 and then 2014, these towers may never exist. Merrill Lynch pulled out of talks to move in; the Port Authority doubts there will be enough tenant demand until 2030 and suggested four-story, retail-centered placeholders. Silverstein wants the PA to help finance them anyway, and Sheldon Silver said he wants to see tower 2 built immediately.

6. 4 World Trade Center
Estimated finish date has been delayed by only a year from initial 2011 plan; will be 64 floors, 975 feet tall. City of New York and PA agreed to lease over half the office space (Deloitte is a possibility for some of the rest). Work has begun on the foundation—but Crain’s reported last week that Silverstein is now unhappy with the price the city is paying.

7. 5 World Trade Center
There are no set plans for the site of the ex–Deutsche Bank building, which is being demolished and was to be replaced by a JPMorgan tower. The 2007 fire that killed two firefighters slowed work drastically; JPMorgan acquired Bear Stearns and its building and doesn’t need new offices. The PA is looking for investors to turn the project into a residential tower and hotel.

8. National September 11 Memorial and Museum
To open in 2013, though plaza outside is to be done by 9/11/11. The Michael Arad/Peter Walker design wasn’t chosen until 2004; fund-raising was suspended in 2006 when cost overruns became public; budget has since been cut by 40 percent and exhibition space has shrunk. Workers began pouring street-level concrete this month.

http://nymag.com/news/intelligencer/topic/56792/

World Trade Center