World Trade Center Restoration Competition : Finalist

[Christophe Hébert]

Hi,

My submission to the ideas competition to restore the twins towers concept in New-York is finalist.


This is a competition organised by Team Twins New-York, an activist group who ask for twin towers rebuilding.
50% of New-Yorker want the twins rebuild.

The competition is about the concept of the twins, not to rebuild them exactly.



Here my website submission : www.107thfloor.com

Sorry about some bad renderings inside. I hope to get time to work them in next weeks.

[Christophe Hébert]

My proposal consist in providing technical and typological solution to make the rebuild process possible. There is a better space inside for corporate offices, organised as villages of 8 floors (four double floors), linked by escalators and served by double-deck express elevators from the lobby. Important firms could have their private Skylobby at mid-level from “villages”. There is no more local elevators which couldn’t be secured from basement in case of major event. There is four spread-out stairways and fire-fighter elevators, protected from fire and smoke by fire-doors and pressurized vestibules. In case of terrorism attack by airliner jet, at least one or two groups of stairway and FF elevators would be not affected.
To reduce the number of elevators I propose twins as mixed used towers : there is 320 condos in last 16 floors, served by 6 elevators from main lobby. Two of them are double decks and prior serve the public sky-deck. In North tower, condos are replaced by 416 hotel units and The Windows on the World bar and restaurant.
The structure is improved from the original concept to be a technical solution to the 9/11 attacks. There is no more isolated columns, all the structure is a coherent system where, in case of major structural failure, forces could be redistributed.



This project teach me... how it’s difficult to try to do something different or better about facades, from the original project. If you design a simple glass facades and simulate it with a render software, you get twins which reflect into each other, and it doesn’t work, it’s ugly.
I design special glass facades that do not reflect by un-continuous geometry and alternance of normal and smoked glass. They could be lightened by the sun or dark, depend on the location. This is a discreet memorial intention about 9/11 than one tower could be dark and the other reflect sky and light in the same time.

[Christophe Hébert]

To find façade effects with natural light, I build a sketchUp model of both detailed 120 floors towers, and I make simulation with Artlantis render software. Then, I change details... etc.

This work take a lot of time to me.

[goldthang]

B"H

Wow man!!

It looks great.. The Best of Luck :clap:

[Christophe Hébert]

Thank you

[Christophe Hébert]

Façades are composed by alternance of light smoked glass and mid-reflective glass.

[BruceWalker]

Maybe I'm not keeping up with things, but I thought Daniel Libeskind had already won this competition. What happened?

Your proposal is to rebuild/restore the towers because 50% of NYers want them rebuilt. Presumably this also means that 50% don't want them rebuilt. How do you account for them?

Also, the only thing that remains of the original design is that there's two of them - and the box shape. You've changed the facade, the facade system and facade colour, as well as the interior - which doesn't resemble the original at all.

Now even though the end result may be fine and good, it doesn't really fit into the 'rebuild' philosophy. Could you please explain your decision-making process behind this?

Lastly - I think you (and your team?) have put in a amazing amount of work, and your modelling and presentation (web page) is great. Congrats :clap:

[Christophe Hébert]

Thank you.

My proposition is not a "free" proposal. There is a non-official competition against official rebuilt process.

The problem is the official project by Liebskind don't exist anymore.
There were three different projects about "Liberty Tower" that is a 70 floors tower with an antena...
The problem about official project, that it deny the existance of the twins. But it's impossible. The twins has transformed Manhattan (remember that ground have been etxended to the sea, during construction process). There is hundred of movies with the towers shot. These towers made the city oniric.

This is a complex problem.

Yes, many people in New-York want the twins back in the skyline. Notably a part of survivors, or victim's families. Remember Donald Trump recent proposal.
The twins concept is not a question of fashion style or time for me. But the official project is.


There is another point to discuss. The twins were exceptional safe structural engineering. They were design to resist to a crash plane, and they did.
They finaly collapse because of details. Many people think because of the fire. But, remember, one tower (North Tower) have resisted almost twice more.
It's a possibility that special lightweight flooring system, because of the fire and the deformation, have created additional forces to the exterior columns. Another explanation is the "hat truss" limits about forces redistribution. In the twins, service core were composed by classical columns, not linked as the exterior bearing wall was. Without "hat truss" structure that link core columns and exterior bearing wall, the twins could have collapsed immediately.

About rebuilding process, there is no debates about safety improvements. There is just irrational considerations, as build the new towers with less number of floors, or improved the building about car bomb attack.

Of course, I do not bilieve about this competition change something, but it is time for me to share ideas.

http://www.rebuild-the-towers.org/events.html


illustration : I make several sketchup models of the original structure of the twins

You may find a french article I wrote about how the twins fells :
http://www.cyberarchi.com/actus&dossiers/opinions/default.php?article=4282

[goldthang]

B”H

The idea that a city lacks am aspect of identity, or rather associates identity with a building is really interesting… I am in two minds with regards to how I feel about this development… On the one hand, it would be a great opportunity, to improve on an already iconic design, while on the other it would be quite revolutionary to create something new that in time would become an icon within itself.

I think what it would boil down to is the tragic loss that the city experienced, in terms of life. I would presume that people would rather accept what they know rather than something new. Almost like going back to the comfort of the past… Maybe what I’m saying is complete rubbish, but there seems to be, at least in the press, a longing for NY to return to what it was, rather than build a structure, that represents something new…

How is your design going to remember the events of 9/11?

Is Lieberskind involved in the development at any level anymore?

[goldthang]

B"H


http://www.cyberarchi.com/actus&dossiers/opinions/default.php?article=4282


Oh... is there a translation of the article that you wrote on the above site?

I would really like to read it....

[nandish]

B"H




Oh... is there a translation of the article that you wrote on the above site?

I would really like to read it....


Download the google toolbar. Install it. Right click on the page and select translate to english. And there you go. Have a good read.
Adios

[Christophe Hébert]

Well about 50% of New-York people who want the twins back don't mean that 50% don't want them...

The twins was an exceptional project, very high quality architecture. As all exceptional architecture, they are out of the question of the style of their time.

You have to understand that the twins seems ordinary, but they are not if you look closer.

One of the ideas I like about the twins is to make extraordinary feelings with ordinary things, exactly as art installation process or land art.

So what is extroardinary in the twins ?

Their façades changing with the sun light, their abstraction with the scale, the detail of the spaced exterior columns that prevent giddiness, the alternance of sequences of light and shadow...

The urban figure that organized lower Manhattan, and their iconic figure in the skyline.

The incredible beauty of the idea to be in hi-rise floor and see people, see life into the twin sister tower, in the sky, near from you.

The high symbol of their design : the square form as primitive figure of human presence, the tower without graduation that is technically hard, and mean optimism in science and human progress.

The problem is not something new, it's something making sense.


About how my design remember 9/11. First, I think the wtc memorial designed by Michael Arad, is good and make sense.
I think, there is an implicit allusion in my design, because of the façades change light to dark, depends on the location and the alternance of smoked glass and soft reflective glass.


About my article, maybe I can make a translation in next days.


I think Liebskind is not involved anymore.

About official project, it change a lot, not for the best I think :

- the latest update (I hate) by SOM :
http://gothamgazette.com/graphics/freedom_tower/tower1.jpg
http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Freedom_Tower_petite.jpg
http://www.lowermanhattan.info/construction/project_updates/freedom_tower_26204.asp

- the first update (I prefer) by SOM :
http://www.projectrebirth.org/albums/album005_freedomtower/freedom_tower_hudson.jpg
http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:FreedomTower.jpg

- the original design by Liebskind (I hate too) :
http://www.gothamgazette.com/rebuilding_nyc/winning_plan.php


the problem for me is there is no magical link with the city, this is not the design, this the question : "why build it there ?".

[goldthang]

B”H

Thank you for your answers to the above questions… I appreciate it!

I don’t mean this next question in any way other that from an interest point of view, so please don’t misunderstand me…

How can a Frenchman design a building in America with all the American culture that you have raised? It would make sense that if the connection to the twins is one of American pride, how do you as an architect relate to that and subsequently design for that need?

That sort of question filters from the larger question of how any architect from another land can design for the needs of a society that he/she is not directly in contact with…

[Christophe Hébert]

This is an interesting question.
I think that when you think a building for a place, a location, a location in another country, culture, you have to produce specific sense.

The question of sense is essential, because only design who make sense, still have quality in time. One interesting experience, is to see buildings built ten years ago, and ask yourself "is it an important building for now ?".

As a foreigner, you have to analyse both cultural and site, to produce sense.

The twins have been built by asian-american architect Minoru Yamasaki. In a way, they are asian, because of some preoccupation as building revealing of time, building revealing of place.

But, Twins are a very strong symbol of USA, it was a built political act. This is why they were targets, they were an hyper-symbol of America, and occident.

[Christophe Hébert]

Another illustration : mechanical room

[Christophe Hébert]

Mechanical rooms occupy only the larger center part of floors partition.
On both sides, to improve rentability, there is continuous leasing spaces for tenants, linked to a group of floors (village) by escalators

[BruceWalker]

That sort of question filters from the larger question of how any architect from another land can design for the needs of a society that he/she is not directly in contact with…

Jorn Utzon - Sydney Opera House
Frank Gehry - Bilbao
Renzo Piano - New Caladonia Cultural Centre

There are countless others. It's got to do with research and brilliance.

[Christophe Hébert]

About these examples :

Renzo Piano worked a very contextual project for New Caledonia Cultural Center.
Jorn Utzon worked a very iconic and singular one.
But Ghery worked a Ghery one, as an artist who build a global art work.

At the end, all these projects means something in their context. Ghery's museum is a need for something exceptional in the city as Pompidou's Center for Art in Paris by Piano & Rogers.

Minoru's Yamasaki Twin Towers are both iconic and contextual for me, a kind of american ordinary skyscrapper sublimation.

[goldthang]

B”H

I’m not denying that it can’t be done. In fact as you BruceWalker says, there are countless others..

It’s just that when we talk of national icons and pride, how does one start the process of understanding that connection.

Like it has already been stated, It really comes down to research!

I’m most of the cases given as examples; they became icons after they were built. My interest is in how they were conceived

[BruceWalker]

My interest is in how they were conceived

Well -

Jorn Utzon did what he felt like with no consideration of context...but now it is undeniably associated with Australia.
Frank Gehry sat on a hill overlooking the site and made sketches.
Renzo Piano did research into the vernacular / indigenous construction surrounding the site and drew his design from that.

[imasayer]

I never had a chance to experience the towers. However, one of my professors, who has worked extensively in New York on such projects as Battery Park, said that the towers complex created an horrible urban experience. He contrasted the towers at ground level with Rockefeller Center in terms of urban design, and the towers lost big time.

My point is that while the towers were and icon for the city, maybe we could do much better. I think it is more appropriate to reflect our time than to repeat the past. I think that we should build with boldness and conviction. The towers were a monument to capitalism, the new buildings whatever they may be, should be built as a monument to America's strength of spirit. The should be something that will not let us forget our triumphs as well as our mistakes. Rebuilding the towers would allow us to forget. Often the majority makes the wrong decision, and takes the easy way out.

The current design for the freedom tower is built in the spirit of the towers, and we should expect much more. New York is not the same place, our country is not the same place. I think the hole left in lower Manhattan is more true to the feelings we have about that day.

[kwistenbiebel]

B”H

How can a Frenchman design a building in America with all the American culture that you have raised? It would make sense that if the connection to the twins is one of American pride, how do you as an architect relate to that and subsequently design for that need?




Does anyone remember the following from their history lessons?:
The statue of Liberty is a French gift to the US.

Sometimes it takes a 'foreigner' to make good 'introspection'.

[SWANK-E]

Does anyone remember the following from their history lessons?:
The statue of Liberty is a French gift to the US.

Sometimes it takes a 'foreigner' to make good 'introspection'.

Take the Sydney Opera House by Danish architect Jørn Utzon for example.

[chedda]

I think a 3rd party opinion is always welcome for any advice or a clear view. Sometimes if your inside the problem its harder than standing back and seeing the big picture. Isn't the statue of liberty a masonic symbol ?

[jparchitectus]

You may find this interesting Christophe....

[jparchitectus]

Another Image

[jparchitectus]

Image

[jparchitectus]

last image

[jparchitectus]

Install

[primocordara]

loved the picture with the snow you posted...
That wood "palet" is 1,20 x 1,20 mts? (4x4 feet), to get an idea of its size

[jparchitectus]

Yeah that piece is right around 4'-4'....The bolts were sheared right off of that plate....the holes are 1" diameter It tore it like paper...

By the way Primo...I lost some great images I had posted in PPB1 on that project. I cannot locate the images I had fully landscaped. Anyway to find those?

[primocordara]

oh, sorry to hear that, but no pictures here in my cache...
I just realized the size of it, it "looks" so lightweight!

[jparchitectus]

Lightweight...that piece is around 1000 pounds :eek:

[Christophe Hébert]

This is not true, they were not an horrible urban experience, or just a monument to capitalism, they were more subtile.

It was a singular experience to be in the most human density place in the world and something very well human.

As professor Gillespie say, it is very easy to undervalue the architecture of the WTC.

It was a monument to peace in fact, not capitalism, because international trade, several nationality together, need or is a sign of cooperation.

During my trip in New-York in 1999, I go twice to the 107th of both towers. I spent a lot of time, because I imagined it was not human scale, I was surprised by how it was subtile, and how it make sense, notably to the top of the tower, with the sea and the city at other side.
For information, I'm living close to Paris, I never have visited Eiffel tower in my life...

The current design is very deceiptive, and have changed several times...