[STR]

Originally Posted by JayPro

C (my observation). There is still no news of this on the TWC site, nor have we seen any updated pics from said site.

Till I see overwhelming proof that these changes are *not* a vicious joke, i.e. confirmation from the two sites aforementioned plus one or two additional postings here from aggrieved forumers who've sought and obtained legit answers, I officially declare radioactive bullshit on this.

http://www.wtc.com/media/images/s/ar...d-trade-center

Look, I really wish this wasn't true either. Not only did I like the building (now that I think about it, it might have been my favorite), but I put an unholy amount of time into my model of it. However, the odds of someone from SP uploading a half-dozen renders, after paying two different graphics houses to create them, on accident is extremely remote.

Pour one on the curb for our stillborn friend. Not the whole bottle, I need a hit myself.

Originally Posted by Traynor

So much for all that foolishness about how the X-bracing was integral to the design and the building couldn't be built (as designed) without them... that a certain "expert" on here claimed.

What a ridiculous (and petty, but that's besides the point) thing to say. Nobody said it was impossible, especially given that there's three other buildings in the complex with a very similar structural system (concrete shear wall core and perimeter columns spaced 30 feet on center) and two of those will rise higher than this (now) turd.

What the asinine raving was about 2-3 months ago was the suggestion that one could remove the braces without doing anything else. Like someone could go into AutoCAD, click on the X's, hit delete, and go grab lunch. The mere suggestion is ignorant at best. To alter something that large, means redesigning the whole building. And, well, they redesigned the whole building. About the only thing left untouched was the column footings, and even then they eliminated four of those. If they had the time, I'm sure Richard Rogers would have re-done the whole building to make it both cheaper, and better, but that would take too much time. Even this redesign (which was apparently proposed in September, according to the filename on wtc.com) might have mucked with the timeline. This redesign is probably why construction on Tower 2 pulled ahead of Tower 3 this spring.

Nothing on this scale exists in a vacuum. No design element, no decision. That has been my argument all along, on this and other specific topics.

Originally Posted by Traynor

So, tower 3 has been redesigned omitting most of the X-bracing.

For someone that likes digging up old bodies, I find it interesting that you wouldn't bother to realize you're announcing day-old news that has been the topic of the thread since Page 96.

Originally Posted by Dac150

This is just speculation; however it is possible that there have been consistent complaints about the visual obstructions the cross bracings would have by potential tenants. When you have to lease space, sacrifices may have to be made on design in order to satisfy a deal.

Maybe, but that hasn't been an issue in other buildings. Some, like the Hancock Center, charge a premium for the X-condos. My guess is that they cut them to reduce the amount of stainless steel (they also removed the stainless steel curtain wall spandrels that was between each of the office floors) they'd have to buy and make construction itself easier by reducing the number of lifts.

Without the bracing, the building will probably end up using more conventional steel. Non-braced tube structures are almost always less structurally efficient than braced tubes. However, if they save on labor and the stainless steel facade elements, they end up ahead.