From Foster to Ingels?
John Hill
28. April 2015
Tower 2 Conceptual Design by Norman Foster (Image: Courtesy of Silverstein Properties)
According to the Wall Street Journal, Norman Foster's design of 2 World Trade Center "could be dramatically altered under a proposal being discussed by 21st Century Fox Inc. and News Corp," which would bring in architect Bjarke Ingels.
A few weeks ago, the New York Times first reported that the two Rupert Murdoch-owned companies were "considering building a joint headquarters in a new 88-story skyscraper at the World Trade Center," what would be the last of the four planned towers at the 16-acre World Trade Center site. If the move becomes final, the tower's height and square footage (1,270' and 3 million sf) would remain the same, but portions would need to be redesigned to accommodate the studios and other facilities for the companies. While the scope and extent of Ingels' changes are uncertain at this time, the Journal states the work would be "by far the largest change to the closely watched rebuilding since the tower designs were unveiled in 2006."
Foster's diamond-shaped design is located in the northeast corner of the World Trade Center's blocks, west of One World Trade Center and north of Santiago Calatrava's PATH Terminal. To date, 1WTC and 4WTC are officially open, while 3WTC's construction resumed last year (targeted for a 2017 completion) and 2 WTC's foundations have been built up to street level.