cost.

Durst gets to keep a large percentage of any money that save the PA on the building, so, change the base, cut the cost of it in half, they get a good chunk of change. Same with the Spire.

Was in Atlanta the other day and I looked up at the Bank of America Plaza's roof line. The open-lattice steel covering looks nice so I was wondering would the same type of thing be possible to fit over One WTC's mast? By the way that building has a GOLD spire... You'd think that a building WAY more significant could at least have something attractive on top. :yuck:

This spire/antenna argument is seriously getting beaten beyond death at this point. Yes, we realize it sucks that Durst is exhibiting those symptoms of Greedy Rich Asshole Syndrome, but it is what it is. I think we should be excited for this building being finished in the near future, I know I am.

It was for safety. The prismatic glass was tested and it was found that it broke into dangerous shards.

safety my ass.. it's glass, they could use a different type of glass and still keep the angled base.. squaring it off kills the whole triangular shape of the tower!

I was talking about the angles at the corner of the base, not the materials that will be used to sheath it.

Chris is correct. They did a mockup almost 2 years ago and it failed miserably. Just a simple throw of a small sledgehammer broke the glass. Look it up. It's on video as well.

You'll also see that the glass tested was very high grade glass. The prism cuts simply didn't work.

As for the redesign, I like it... no more... no less than the original.

Red no more
 

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8441/7...3dc75b1a_b.jpg
DSC_4890 copy by Ceva321, on Flickr:rolleyes:

Carlos,how do you feel that you have that view 24/7?Wow.

MOJOman
http://static.uglyhedgehog.com/uploa...ll_dsc0029.jpg

http://static.uglyhedgehog.com/uploa...ll_dsc0327.jpg

http://static.uglyhedgehog.com/uploa...1-dsc_0863.jpg
http://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-58899-1.html

I suggest you do some research before you start drawing these conclusions.

The chinesse subcontractor couldn't fabricate the sheets of prisms and meet the safety standards at the same time, any attempt to continue the job would have increased substantially the overall cost with no guarantee of finding a proper solution.

SOM worked on an alternate design that had as top priority to look for cheaper materials and fabrication methods and at the same time fit the design to the building's architectural language, maybe the corners are gone but the continuity between the base and the office curtain wall is preserved (IMO it looks improved).

Again? What is so good about the original base? It looks like a Chinese takeout box. The new design is extremely similar to the base of the former Twin Towers. I like it more than the old one. Now if they added the tridents.

I too like the new base better alot. I heard it's supposed to light up in the night in different colors also.

Still only four beams and this will be topping out!! :cheers::cheers:

I have heard this before but I would say: "Barely reminiscent of..." A takeout box has four sides that cant inwards, while the original design of the base of 1WTC had four vertical sides with four chamfered corners. In shape, it was an exact copy of the first several office floors, only inverted.

Personally, I preferred the original. I liked the symmetry with the rest of the tower. While the new version is reminiscent of the old towers, it now looks tacked on, with little thematic ties to the upper portion of the tower. Also as you pointed out, now that it looks so similar to the old tower, the missing trident shapes become conspicuous by their absence and serves as a continuous reminder of something that is lost.

http://i.imgur.com/WvWt5.png
(Image found here: http://murraydms.ning.com/forum/topi...ource=activity )

http://i.imgur.com/1D4vn.jpg
(Close-up of image found on first page of this thread: http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=123628 )

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7267/7...7704e0d165.jpg
lower manhattan; 8/20/2012 by kevin scott koepke photography, on Flickr

From an ironworkers down at WNY:

I had a gut feeling the base wouldn't be covered in clad during October,but than again,it's all assumptions.Take note though:IrishInNYC is a very reliable source and is an ironworker at the site.

:drooling: feel very lucky!!!


http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8422/7...09e6ffbb_b.jpg
DSC_4894 copy by Ceva321, on Flickr

I saw this aswell. I agree, but then again, the lifted steel without breaking the windows above 20, maybe they can do it with the base.

It's been known for years....yes, years...that the base cladding would not start until the regular cladding had been completed and the building was topped out. I continually do not understand why people are waiting around for the base cladding. It will not happen until nearly all of the other exterior work is completed. And how can you put cladding on corners that haven't been squared off yet?? Use your brains, people.