1 World Trade Center
1 World Trade Center is the centerpiece of the new World Trade Center complex. Originally dubbed the “The Freedom Tower,” the glass tower rises a symbolic 1,776 feet, an act of patriotism in response to the 9/11 attacks. Daniel Libeskind, a star Polish American architect, first designed the tower but as the WTC rebuilding encountered delays, his earlier design was later re-imagined by Daniel Childs of the SOM architectural firm with its distinctive spire and attack-proof base. Conde Nast magazine is the chief tenant of the building making the WTC complex a haven not for financial firms like the previous World Trade Center, but of TAMI (Technology, Advertising, Media, and Information) industries. 1 WTC is the tallest building in the United States and the Western Hemisphere.
2 World Trade Center
Aside from the possible 5 World Trade Center, 2 World Trade Center is the last of the WTC buildings still in the planning phase. As seen in the images, two designs are in the running: a more traditional design by the UK's Sir Norman Foster, whose design has “diamonds” at the top of the tower and a more avante garde design by the young starchitect Bjarke Ingels of Denmark. His rather polarizing design has an angled stacked pattern look to it, imagining several different buildings on top of one another rather than a single tower, and depending on the angle an observer looks, his 2 WTC looks like a different design. Fox News was to move their headquarters from the Avenue of the Americas to 2 WTC and had brought in Ingels at their behest to produce the new design but the news organization later pulled out of negotiations in early 2016. Larry Silverstein, the principal developer of the WTC complex, is now undecided on which one will be the 2 WTC and said said it's up to a prospective tenant to decide. A new anchor tenant could even commission a new design.
3 World Trade Center
Currently under construction, 3 World Trade Center is the latest building to rise at the WTC complex. Pritzker Prize-winning architect Richard Rogers, who hails from the UK and who also designed the Pompidou Centre in Paris, designed the handsome 3 WTC, which has a total height of 1,079 ft. (80 stories). The buildings of the World Trade Center descends in height from the One WTC all the way down to the rest of the numbered WTC buildings. GroupM, a heavyweight advertising agency, is the anchor for the tower.
4 World Trade Center
Japanese architect Fumihiko Maki designed 4 WTC whose building just barely missed the 1,000 ft. mark with its official height of 978 ft. It was the second of the World Trade Center buildings to be completed finishing construction in 2013. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is the chief anchor for 4 WTC
5 World Trade Center
The fate of 5 WTC is currently up in the air. Silverstein exchanged the rights to develop 5 WTC to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey for more financing. The Port Authority had built and owned the original WTC and had leased the original WTC to Silverstein just before the attacks. JPMorgan Chase once chose the site as a possible headquarters for their investmant bank unit but the plans didn't pan out. The Port Authority has not announced any plans for 5 WTC.
7 World Trade Center
7 World Trade Center has the chief designation as the first WTC building to rise in the aftermath of the Sept. 11th terrorist attacks being built all the way back in 2006. David Childs of the Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill architectural firm designed 7 WTC and the building is considered to be the gateway to the new WTC complex with its location just north of the main four buildings as well as the 9/11 Memorial and Museum. The original WTC complex had seven World Trade Center buildings including the original twin towers and the new WTC complex revives that plan even though there won't be a 6 WTC included in the rebuilt complex.
The World Trade Center Site Plan
Along with the WTC buildings, the World Trade Center site contains other uses chief among them the 9/11 Memorial. The footprints of the original twin towers has become a solemn memorial with cascading waterfalls inside the footprints. Around the footprints, the names of the victims are etched on the parapets of the footprint perimeters. Israeli architect Michael Arad designed the 9/11 Memorial calling it Reflecting Absence.. The 9/11 Museum is also included in the plaza which is both above and below ground and designed by the architectural firm Davis Brody Bond.
A park, a transit hub, and a performing arts center are also included in the site plan of the WTC. The $4 billion World Trade Center Transportation Hub is currently in its finishing phases and will serve as the main hub for PATH trains serving Northern New Jersey including Hoboken, Newark, and Jersey City as well as Manhattan. Its striking ribbed design with its soaring wings was designed by Spanish starchitect Santiago Calatrava. Liberty Park is an elevated park and was just recently completed and opened to the public in the summer of 2016. The St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church, the only church to be destroyed during the attacks (the Trinity and St. Paul's Churches survived the attacks), will be rebuilt on Liberty Park. Its domed edifice and the elevated nature of the park will ensure a prominent location for the church in the WTC complex. Lastly, the Perelman center will be built on the WTC site and will serve as the planned performing arts center. Billionaire Ronald Perelman recently donated $75 million to the facility and will be renamed in his honor. The Perelman Center will be situated prominently beside 1 WTC and across from the 9/11 Memorial Plaza.