My 6yr old self at the foot of the World Trade Centre(1992)

After the city had recovered from the September 11 attacks, which were the most traumatic event in its history, a new World Trade Center Complex had to be built to replace the one that terrorists had destroyed. It would bring new life to the area and build a memorial to the people who died in the Twin Towers.

The public voted on the first ideas for the complex, but they all lost. The office space that was torn down had to be saved so that the site could be fixed up, but it also had to be saved because it had a lot of symbolic meaning. The Port Authority, Governor George Pataki, and site developer Larry Silverstein together announced an international design competition to get people interested in the project. Daniel Liebskind was the winner, and he may have been the best architect for the job. His approach to architecture was much more than just building structures; it was more about shaping an experience. His works showed how he felt and told stories. He did research on the historical setting and gave it shape. He says that his work is about the history of the place and what was there before the building. Architecture is a field of study that looks at culture. It’s not just that there are technical problems. Design needs to take into account that it is a humanistic field with roots in history and culture.

The Freedom Tower, designed by Daniel Liebskind, was chosen as the best plan for the plaza. It is a sharply angled skyscraper with a spire that reaches a symbolic height of 1776 feet. It was a shame that it was never given a chance to shine. The main building of the complex was designed by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, who were Silverstein’s go-to architects.

A glass and steel building that looks simple and works well is imposing. It’s nice to look at and reflects the sky beautifully, but it’s not very creative. Since its footprint is almost the same as that of the original Twin Skyscrapers, it doesn’t have many symbolic connections to the towers that are sorely missed. The roof of the old One World Trade Center was the same height as the top floor of the new One World Trade Center, which is 1,368 feet (417 m). It has clean lines and clever geometry that starts as a square at the bottom, changes to an octagon in the middle, and ends as a square at the top. The tower is safe from attacks from the ground, like truck bombs, because it is built on a 185-foot-tall, windowless concrete base.

Only the height of 1776, which is the year the United States Declaration of Independence was signed, has been kept from the original plan.

Even though it has a lot of meaning, the new One World Trade Center Tower rarely makes people feel anything. It blends in with the plaza and looks light and sleek. If it has a story to tell, it’s about how business and tourism have come back to the area, not about how people have suffered, lost, come back to life, and become more hopeful. Even though this is definitely a good thing, the story would have been much more interesting if the Freedom Tower had been crooked, tilted, and charged.