Three words must be kept in mind when designing the new World Trade Center, Respect, Pride and Security. Respect for those who died at the site due to the events of Sept. 11th, and respect for the work of Minoru Yamasaki The new Trade Center must restore New York’s pride by filling the void in the sky in lower Manhattan. Lastly people must feel secure for the whole complex to work.
Minoru Yamasaki designed a complex that was an impressive office complex, transit center, retail mall, and hotel while still allowing for much open space. Unfortunately his work was twice a terrorist target. The new Trade Center will and must be all of these, both good and bad, plus a memorial, cultural center and home to many people.
By incorporating features from other successful structures to Mr. Yamasaki’s original design, the new Trade Center can be all it needs to be. The footprint of the original towers must be considered sacred from the very foundation of the structure to the sky above. Combining attributes from the Vietnam War Memorial in Washington DC and the recent "Tribute in Light", the sites of the original towers could be held sacred by all near and far.
Taking a few lessons from the Modern Schoolhouses of the 1890’s, a more secure structure can be built. Areas that had a higher chance for fires, such as the chemistry labs, were placed at the top of the structure as fire burns up before seeking fuel below its origin. Some schools even placed boiler rooms in nearby separate buildings. Doing such for the parking garage and loading docks would reduce the damage a car bomb could do to the complex.
The court yard area will be on top of a 20 floor base which would house everything that was not put into a tower. By doing so, the Trade Center will maintain a large open space which is very secure. Standing in the court yard will be Twin Towers, the East and the West. Closer together than the original North and South towers, the East and West would be interconnected. These towers would each stand independently, but together, with the interconnects, could reduce the effects of future terrorist activity. Much like Americans pulled together, the East and West Towers can symbolize individuality within unity.
Along the sides of the base would be housing making the trade center a "city within the city". The first three floors would be for retail trade and access to the various cultural centers and the office complex itself. On one side starting at the forth floor the housing will go back a few feet every floor. This "terrace step’ design will give each resident on that side their own piece of the sky.
Lastly each person who died in the towers or other parts of the complex shall be remembered. Inside the complex around the foot print of the North and South Towers each person will have a room dedicated to him or her. On the door will be the name and a picture of that person. The room itself will be decorated by people who knew that person. Thus visitors will see a living memorial; able to put faces to the names. As the Pharos of Egypt have gained immortality by having their names spoken of to this day, each of the victims of September 11 will also live on as well.
The new World Trade Center must be a lot, and it can be by combining the features of many successes which are in the world today. My plan leaves a lot of wholes for other members of the world to fill, it will be a place where many ideas will make up one place. A place where two concepts thought to be totally opposite of each other come together such as city and open space, freedom and security, business and life, tragedy and triumph