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Buildings
Rebuild the WTC Towers? Death of the Skyscrapers? Designers
Weigh In
(archrecord.construction.com
- October 2001)
RECORD asked architects and engineers
who have had an interest in the World Trade Center and the
design of tall buildings, What is the future of the WTC site?
What impact does this event have on the future of skyscrapers?
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Susannah Shepherd |
“It would
be entirely appropriate to have the Trade Center reproduced
at this site. If we turn the site into a memorial, in a way,
it would be a monument to the success of terrorism.”
—Henry Guthard,Senior VP with Minoru Yamasaki & Associates,
and a member of the original WTC design team
“They
ought to rebuild the [WTC] buildings, but not necessarily
as targets. I don’t think Americans should be swayed
by what those bastards did.”
—Bruce Graham, FAIA, SOM lead architect for Chicago’s
John Hancock Center and Sears Tower
“Rebuilding
the WTC as it was would be showing nostalgia for a world that
doesn’t exist. What has happened with the media coverage
shows we don’t need monuments. Buildings no longer contain
memory. The media contains that memory. So we need to build
again with the understanding that we don’t want to build
the same buildings.”
—Peter Eisenman, FAIA
“It changes
our thinking about [skyscrapers], no doubt about it. There
was nothing wrong with the conceptual design [of the WTC towers].”
—William LeMessurier, structural engineer for Manhattan’s
59-story Citicorp Center
“The only
way to demonstrate our strength would be to build two towers
of similar size. I don’t see why we should capitulate
to a group of criminals.”
—Cesar Pelli, FAIA, architect of the nearby World Financial
Center at Battery Park City
“The site
has to be rebuilt. Economics will dictate what goes there.”
—Carol Ross Barney, FAIA, principal, Ross Barney + Jankowski,
architect of the GSA’s new Federal campus in Oklahoma
City
“The future
of the tall building will have to receive scrutiny regarding
its structure and life safety systems. The tall building is
a fundamental component of dealing with density, and it will
continue to be.”
—William Pedersen, FAIA, partner, Kohn Pedersen Fox
“I don’t
know that the twin towers should be rebuilt. Perhaps an even
more spectacular skyscraper with its own distinct form would
be better. On the other hand, there is much to commend in
rebuilding Yamasaki’s building.”
—Robert A.M. Stern, FAIA
“I hope
that they rebuild, whether they rebuild that exact structure
or not. To turn it into a park does not capture the essence
of what New York is. It’s about density and bustling
sidewalks, and that’s the nature of the city.”
—Kenneth T. Jackson, editor of The Encyclopedia of New
York
“I suspect
the design criteria [of tall buildings] may change in the
future. I’m not sure that height is an issue, though.”
—Richard Green, FAIA, chair and CEO of Stubbins Associates
“Whatever
is built on this site will say more about us as a people and
how we see our future than about concrete, steel, and glass.
The WTC should be redeveloped as a strong symbol of America’s
resolve."
—Edward A. Feiner, FAIA, chief architect of the U.S.
General Services Administration (GSA)
"Unquestionably
there will be a [short-term] stop [in plans for tall buildings].
This is inevitable. [But] the desire to build very high and
slender buildings is so ingrained in the way we are. Tall
buildings will be built with great care and consideration."
—Cesar Pelli, FAIA
“Any building,
whether it’s low or high, is vulnerable. Terrorists don’t
discriminate. They will find a way.”
—Mir Ali, professor, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
School of Architecture and expert on tall building design
“Reimagining
the city would be the best memorial, not a permanent hole
amid the streets of downtown.”
—Hugh Hardy, FAIA
“There
will certainly be a memorial planned for the site. I think
the most eloquent one might be two squares, each an acre of
grass marking the footprint of the former towers. But respecting
their absence, we should also assert a positive plan to rebuild
12 million square feet of mixed-use and commercial space on
the site.”
—Carol Willis, director of the Skyscraper Museum, new
home to be built near the WTC site
“It was
a great symbol. I’ll be very disappointed if we end up
with a park on that site. There should be something as dramatic
built—tall or even taller. Something has to rise on that
site. I’m still very optimistic on building tall buildings.”
—John Sheehy, FAIA, RIBA, president of Architecture International
and a member of the SOM design team for Chicago’s Hancock
Center
“We may
take a break from building such giants, but given their symbolic
value and given time to regain our confidence, I think skyscrapers
will inevitably remain a sign of the achievement of our civilization.”
—Edward A. Feiner, FAIA
“The notion
of the [tallest] skyscraper as a singular icon may have seen
its day because of its vulnerability. It has become such a
target, and it doesn’t make much sense anyway.”
—Bruce Fowle, FAIA, partner, Fox & Fowle Architects
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