With the top of the FT facade at 1368 ft, that would be only 31 ft higher than the highest point on Tower 2.
Tower 2 will appear to be most massive from some angles, but it has a thinner profile than Freedom from the
east or west. It's sloped profile, and the FT spire make the height difference appear more than it is...

http://www.pbase.com/nyguy/image/66571989/original.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/nyguy/image/66571956/large.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/nyguy/image/66753660/original.jpg

Amazing progression of the complex since my last visit!:tup:

Are you talking about the FT or the other towers?

I had the impression that in your post that I had responded to, you were only talking about the FT.

I don't believe that the FT will have any retail, below or above ground.

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/226/4...ce64404a_o.jpg

Is this model on display somewhere and is it opened to the public?

If so, I gotta go there one of these days to check it out myself.

It's the same model as the one NYguy posted. At least it looks that way.

I wish they would update the model at the WFC...

Compare that with this...

http://www.pbase.com/nyguy/image/53909776/medium.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/nyguy/image/53909814/medium.jpg


http://www.pbase.com/nyguy/image/53909847/medium.jpg

NO contest...

Those new towers are gorgeous!!

FT would look so much better if they could somehow integrate the base with the rest of the building. Like a slow transition from bomb shelter to sleek glass instead of just a horizontal line where one ends and the other begins. Any thoughts?

Maybe they'll look into that as time passes.

But since the base will be covered with glass panels anyway, don't count on them changing it at all.

The models/renderings don't give an accurate interpretation. The base will be covered in glass, though it will still be very distinctive from the rest of the tower.

As we all know, there are security issues that have been dealt with. Perhaps if the tower were on the middle of 34th street, we wouldn't have it that way. But it is what and where it is.

The tower is part monument to the memorial anyway. Looking at it that way, its not that bad.

http://www.pbase.com/nyguy/image/78009066/medium.jpg

In the final scheme of things, I don't think the base will matter much...

http://www.pbase.com/nyguy/image/66466735/medium.jpg


http://www.pbase.com/nyguy/image/66458468/original.jpg


I can see how it could be considered an asset at night time. I'm sure some will disagree...

http://www.pbase.com/nyguy/image/66462361/medium.jpg

A little more on the glass...
http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/s...e,101730.shtml

Viracon Awarded Glass Supply Contract for Freedom Tower in NYC

Mon, 07 May 2007
Author : Viracon, Inc.

OWATONNA, Minn., May 7 ...Benson Industries of Portland, Oregon, who was recently awarded the curtain wall contract for the World Trade Center Tower One, has named Viracon, Inc. of Owatonna, Minnesota as their glass supplier for the project. The World Trade Center Tower One, also known as the Freedom Tower, is being developed by the Port Authority of New York/New Jersey and will be constructed on the site of the World Trade Center buildings destroyed by terrorists in 2001.

"This is an extremely proud day for all of Viracon's 2,600 employees," said Brad J. Austin, Viracon's Senior Vice President. Over the past four years, Viracon has assisted New York architects at Skidmore, Owings and Merrill (SOM) to provide the best possible glass solution to achieve the aesthetic design, energy and security performance required for the project. The Freedom Tower is the first of four buildings to be constructed at the site.

At 1,776 feet tall, a tribute to our country's freedom with the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776, the Freedom Tower will be the tallest building in North America when complete.

Viracon, the largest single source glass fabricator in the country, was selected based on the company's ability to achieve stringent design and performance criteria for glass. "The architects at SOM relied on Viracon to provide a glass product that marries form and function together to achieve the design intent of the project with highly functional glass performance in terms of energy efficiency, security and safety," says Austin.

SOM's design for the Freedom Tower requires extremely long pieces of glass that are highly transparent and, at the same time, provide superior energy efficiency and security. Viracon installed custom fabrication equipment to meet the needs of the project. "To create the feeling of openness, the architects challenged us to fabricate exceptionally large-sized insulating glass units, which are well above the industry standard," says Rick Voelker, Vice President of Technical Services at Viracon.

"The glass sizes to be used are approximately two feet longer than typical fabrication limits." Viracon made significant investments into equipment and material processing in order to accommodate the increased sizes. Viracon is the only U.S. fabricator with the ability to work with such large sizes for energy efficient coated insulating glass.

With all the transparency created by such large pieces of glass, energy efficiency became an immediate challenge. In response, SOM specified Viracon's VRE-54 coating on highly transparent low-iron glass for the Freedom Tower project. The VRE coating is referred to as a hybrid coating because of its ability to simultaneously provide a crisp neutral appearance, combined with high levels of energy performance and light transmission. Viracon expects to begin fabrication on the Freedom Tower at its Owatonna, Minnesota facility in 2008. The building will contain just less than one million square feet of glass, making it one of the largest contracts Viracon has been awarded in its history.

Viracon is currently working on proposals for the three additional buildings to be constructed at the World Trade Center site. "It was a great honor for Viracon to supply the glass on the Seven World Trade Center project, which opened in 2006, and it is indeed a privilege for Viracon to be selected as the glass supplier for the Freedom Tower project, which undoubtedly will be one of the world's most prominent buildings," concludes Austin.

What happened to the old thread of this building? I cant find it.

Try looking in the Thread Archive on the main page way to the bottom of it.

Don't these renderings grossly misrepresent the scale of WTC2 and WTC3? For example, I thought the peak of WTC2 is going to be only 20 or 30 feet shorter than the roof of the Freedom Tower. In these pictures it looks over a hundred feet shorter!

I think someone from Boston ate it!

I have got to back my man Daquan on this. You need to stop with these uncalled for comments. They stir up turmoil which it not necessary. This thread has been running nicely, and the progression of the project is getting exciting. For the respect of the forumers, please lets not go down a negative path. Not arguing, but a simple request. Please.

Thank you, Dac.

I've been trying to remain on topic in this and other threads and will continue to do so.

But in any case, the Freedom Tower continues to progress with much more anticipated things to come! It will be interesting to see the good things that will develop this summer!!

Its the angle in which the renderings are drawn from. If you draw a line between the buildings at the angle shown, they are accurate.

The base for crane 2 has been delivered this morning :banana: :banana: