Plans for three new skyscrapers to sit alongside Freedom Tower on the site of the World Trade Center in New York have been unveiled by architects.

The towers will descend in height in a semicircle around the memorial to the victims of the 11 September attacks.

 

The designs complete plans for Ground Zero, where the showpiece Freedom Tower is already under construction.

 

But five years on, frustration is growing over the lack of actual rebuilding work, correspondents say.

 

British architects Norman Foster and Richard Rogers have each designed one of the new towers, as has Fumihiko Maki of Japan.

 

Each building will be covered in glass and the tallest will stand as high as the city's iconic Empire State Building.

 

Former glory

 

Mayor Michael Bloomberg told a news conference in New York that the new skyline would "restore the splendour of our city's historic birthplace".

 

"These are some of the most stunning buildings you will see anywhere in the world," said New York Governor George Pataki.

 

"It does respect the sanctity of this entire site," he added.

 

Lord Rogers said that he hoped people would come to the site to think of the past, but, more importantly, to "dream of the future".

 

Construction work on the new towers is expected to begin in 2007 or 2008.

 

Design features

 

The tallest of the skyscrapers, and the last to be built, will be topped by four diamonds that will point towards the memorial park from any vantage point in the city, architects say.

 

Designed by Lord Foster, the diamonds will light up lower Manhattan at night.

 

Lord Rogers's building will be more slender and designs show it featuring four 100ft (30m) spires - one at each corner.

 

Fumihiko Maki's minimalist fourth tower will be covered in perforated aluminium, making it the lightest of the skyscrapers, according to its designer.

 

The landmark buildings are intended to complement Freedom Tower - which at 1,776ft (541m) is set to become the tallest building in the United States.

 

All building work on the site is due to be completed by 2012.

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/5325794.stm?ls

They look really good, but i think the whole site should be a park.

Those look gorgeous. Wow.

I'm not crazy about the design.... I do like the memorial though... the waterfalls are pretty and peaceful.. but I don't think there should be too many office spaces there.... its a grave, really.

I think this is a great idea because we are still willing to build up with our skyscrapers...I thought the U.S. might be a little hesitant on building upward on ground zero ever again

Great designs. Let's get them built already! Damn I hate bureaucracy... rebuilding isn't a sign of disrespect to those who rest there; it's a sign of our resiliency in the face of tragedy.

meh, don't care much for the designs or the name freedom tower (wtf?! at least WTC actually sounded good), but at least we're rebuilding. it'd be weird to not see anything there since it's just a great big gaping hole right now.

 

this is what it looked like last year (click to get bigger):

meh, don't care much for the designs or the name freedom tower (wtf?! at least WTC actually sounded good), but at least we're rebuilding. it'd be weird to not see anything there since it's just a great big gaping hole right now.

 

this is what it looked like last year (click to get bigger):

 

 

looks pretty much the same now... except there is a HUGE fence interfering with the view of the hole.

I like the designs of these buildings...but they need to stop talking and start building I think. The diamond shaped one is a particularly nice design. They definitely need gardens of some kind though. At the moment its still, like you say, a crater and so depressing to look at.

 

Saiqa...I must have stood in exactly the same spot as you when I was there in August :stunned: :

I felt kinda bad taking a photo there... :(

and there was that huge fence there you were talking about

Those are some nice designs.

I like the designs of these buildings...but they need to stop talking and start building I think. The diamond shaped one is a particularly nice design. They definitely need gardens of some kind though. At the moment its still, like you say, a crater and so depressing to look at.

 

Saiqa...I must have stood in exactly the same spot as you when I was there in August :stunned: :

I felt kinda bad taking a photo there... :(

and there was that huge fence there you were talking about

 

 

 

removed obviously! :rolleyes: I haven't been down there in about 6 months...... :P I don't like to go down there much. Too sad......

here is a link with more information

 

http://www.theonion.com/content/node/52325

looks pretty much the same now... except there is a HUGE fence interfering with the view of the hole.

yeah, i just stuck my camera through the chain link fence and zoomed in.

 

kara-woah, that's almost the exact same angle. i felt kinda bad about taking pictures, too. :( it was pretty depressing to see nothing there, i remember being able to turn the corner and see these huge amssive buildings and now...it's just not the same. it gets noticeably quieter in the general area when you're walking towards it.