Twin Towers model at MSNBC (David Shuster) [Proposal to Rebuild WTC Towers]

MSNBC ^ | 05/11/2005 | David Shuster

[drt1]

This is an idea that seems to be getting some traction. Another FR thread dealt with the 'Novel' approach of rebuilding the towers as they were - Albeit, with some structural/safety modifications.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1395116/posts

[drt1]

Oops! Forgot the link to article:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7764695/#050511a

[hsmomx3]

If they build it looking like the old towers, I can just imagine how many ghost stories will appear on tv.

[G32]

Just build them bigger, taller and safer. Period. And get started already.

[Txsleuth]

I would post an opinion about the possiblity of rebuilding another Twin Towers, (I love it), but I can't stand David Shuster, so I refuse to read the whole article.....

seriesly!

[LoudAmericanCowboy]

This will be great if it happens. What I would love to see is the Twin Towers standing next to the Freedom Tower. The greatest skyline I will see on Earth.

[Normal4me]

You don't like the proposed buildings from the "Jetson's" era? Me neither. Build them back as they were and install surface to air missle launchers on top of them.;-)

[BigFinn]

this design gets my vote

[Petronski]

Here's the best graf:

In Europe after the World War, many landmark structures were rebuilt. This is how a country and civilization develop a rich history. In my travels to Europe, there was a sense of longevity engendered by the presence of architecture that marked significant eras in each country's history. America will not have this kind of history if we do not protect and preserve our symbols of who we are and what we stand for. I am a great fan of change and technology, but I am also a student of history and a preservationist. To allow the image of these icons to vanish into the memories of this generation and never be seen by future generations is to erase a part of what makes us American.

[Normal4me]

Oooh....I like the way you think. Welcome to FR!

[Skylab]

Very funny!

[Politicalities]

No no no... they shouldn't rebuild them as they were. They should've gone with THINK's incredible Sky Park design, which had three towers in place of the two that were destroyed. Similar enough to evoke the memory of the original, they were nevertheless different enough to have a sheer beauty of their own, while leaving the original footprints for a memorial.

Sky Park nearly made me weep with its beauty, and I wept for real when it was not selected. The Libeskind/Child abortion that's going up in its place makes me really, really angry.

[Baraonda]

Very funny. LOL!

[jsbankston]

Great idea, however I am not sure it is economically feasible considering the WTC I & II were not close to full occupancy at the time of the 9/11 attacks.

In addition,I really do not think business or employees would want to office in a new WTC.

[TheForceOfOne]

This may sound stupid, and considering my complete lack of knowledge with aviation electronics, I wonder if it is possible to arm a skyscraper with a self defense mechanism that would allow it to take remote control of an aircraft and guide it away (not crash it) from the area if the aircraft have the remote electronics installed for that to happen?

Anyone know the answer?

[proxy_user]

So why not build normal office buildings on the site? They're more practical, and that's what the free market would support.

The original WTC was a government boondoggle that remained half-empty for decades.

[LoudAmericanCowboy]

An Israeli contractor could probably do it.

[Arthalion]

Here's the problem with rebuilding them as they were. What made the WTC architecturally special among skyscrapers was their slenderness. Most skyscrapers have a large, wide base that gradually tapers up to a much smaller top floor. They do this because the bottom floor carries much more weight than the top and requires a lot more superstructure. You technically could pack a traditional skyscraper into a perfectly vertical design, but you'd end up with no usable floor space in the bottom half of the building.

The designer of the WTC got around this problem by suspending the building load between a central structural shaft and a functional outer skin. This minor trick allowed him to make a perfectly vertical, slender tower with plenty of floorspace, but it was also ultimately the reason that the tower collapsed.

The only way to rebuild the WTC and prevent another collapse like the last one is to return to a more traditional box steel construction method. If we do this, we'll end up with a building that visually looks like the old WTC towers, but with only a small portion of the originals floorspace inside. That doesn't make economic sense, and shouldn't be pursued.

I really dislike the new Freedom Tower design, but I do agree that a more traditional "tapered" skyscraper design is more appropriate. It's the only SAFE way to build a usable tower on that site.

[nutmeg]

NY ping!