December 12, 2003
More WTC Drama
The infighting between WTC redesign master planner Daniel Libeskind and tower architect David Childs get nuttier: Apparently, there was some sort of break–in at Childs' offices (Skidmore, Owings & Merrill), and Childs' team thinks it was perpetrated by Libeskind staffers. Former police commissioner Howard Safir is investigating, and the Post reports a source as saying, "[Childs' team] wanted to know what happened. They were very angry and they wanted to see what was behind it and who did it." Libeskind and Childs were appeared together yesterday at the raising of the first beam at 7 WTC, which Childs designed. Governor Pataki acknowledged the architects by saying, "We have two brilliant minds, two strong personalities. I am absolutely confident that the creation of this constructive genius is going to be a Freedom Tower that the world will look at for generations to come with awe and inspiration." Libeskind and Childs again claimed they are willing to work with each other, but it seems like lip service. Ah, the egos of world class architects. Governor Pataki, you're naive to think you're going to be able to wrangle them to agree.
At the heart of the conflict is what the new tower at WTC will look like: Libeskind's and Childs' designs are dramatically different.
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As pointed out in a NYT editorial today, L's plan was a master plan and not a building design. In fact the main reason L won was that he was one of the only to actually subscribe to the competition guidelines in making a master plan into which other peices could be fit at a later date providing the required flexibility and other developer friendly themes. That said, I wish Silverfish would hire a new architect and fire that most boring Childs.
The new WTC is going to be a travesty of architecture.
developer friendly themes doesn't always have to mean ugly though.
i think childs and som have their panties in a bunch over nothing because they are cooperating. originally, i thought that it was much more sneaky, with torn black architect gear left behind as evidence.
For the most part the old WTC was a travesty of architecture, so it's all fitting in with the 'theme'.
And who said a reality show about architects would be boring?
Libeskind should avoid appearing in photographs with normal-sized human beings.
From the Newsday article: "[7 WTC] collapsed seven hours after the Towers fell, after it erupted into flames after it was hit by ruble."
Uh, that's "rubble."
Bring Back the Twin Towers! Thank you.