The Lower Manhattan
Development Corporation announced last week that it received 5,200 submissions
from 62 nations and 49 states for the World Trade Center Memorial Competition,
making it the largest design competition in history. The competition,
which the LMDC is administering, was created to select a memorial to honor
the victims of the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center and the September
11, 2001, attacks.
"We had expected significant interest in the memorial competition,
but this response has been extraordinary. It underscores the strong feelings
of not only artists, designers, and architects, but, more importantly,
men and women of all ages around the globe who may not be professionals
but wished to participate in this most important undertaking,” says
LMDC Chairman John C. Whitehead. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial, designed
by Maya Lin, held the previous record, attracting 1,421 entries in 1981.
Applicants were required to mail their designs to a warehouse where they
were checked for anthrax, chemical agents, and explosives before being
shipped to a second, undisclosed location where the jury will review them,
Newsday reported. The only state
that was not represented was Alaska.
Proposals will now be evaluated by a 13-member memorial jury, composed
of Lin; Enrique Norton, Assoc. AIA; Michael Van Valkenburgh, AIA; other
artists; a family member; a Lower Manhattan resident and business owner;
representatives of New York Gov. George E. Pataki and Mayor Michael Bloomberg;
and other arts and cultural professionals. The jury will evaluate the
proposals in a two-stage process based on how well each design expresses
the mission statement and program of the competition guidelines, according
to the LMDC. During the first stage, members of the jury will review anonymous
submissions. For the second stage, finalists will be asked to develop
their design proposals further, which the LMDC will reveal to the public
while the jury continues deliberations. A final design is expected by
this fall.
New agreement on downtown rebuilding
While the memorial competition continues, rebuilding officials entered
talks with architect and World Trade Center site planner Daniel Libeskind
and developer Larry Silverstein to determine how much control each will
have over the details of the design as the projects go forward. After
a nearly eight-hour meeting, Libeskind and Skidmore Owings & Merrill,
Silverstein’s architect, agreed to collaborate on the design and
construction of the 1,776-foot “Freedom Tower” that was a
signature element of Libeskind’s original site plan. David M. Childs,
FAIA, a consulting partner with SOM and Silverstein’s architect
for other trade center office space, including 7 World Trade Center, will
lead the collaboration, according to a statement issued by Childs, Silverstein,
and Libeskind and released through the LMDC.
Childs
and SOM will serve as the design architect and project manager, leading
a team that will design Libeskind’s signature tower, which will
be the first commercial building to be constructed at the site. Libeskind
will serve as a collaborating architect during the concept- and schematic-design
phases of the project and will act as a member of the project team.
“This collaboration will facilitate the development of the Freedom
Tower in a manner consistent with the Libeskind vision,” according
to the statement. “We are confident that SOM and SDL [Studio Daniel
Libeskind] will produce a world-class icon in the Lower Manhattan skyline
and a powerful symbol of out nation’s resilience in the aftermath
of tragedy,” it said.
Libeskind is under contract with the LMDC to develop space for the memorial
and under contract with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
for the train station. CNN reported that he will now enter into a third
contract with Silverstein Properties for the tower.
“It is a historic development that two architects at this level
are willing to work together in this way,” Kevin Rampe, LMDC president,
told The New York Times. Not all
the details have been hammered out, including the final look and site
of the tower and other buildings on the site.
Arts groups seek space in new downtown
venue
In the meantime, a variety of arts and cultural groups has answered the
LMDC’s call to occupy a new cultural center that the agency plans
to build at Ground Zero. Crain’s
New York Business reports that the proposals, “from institutions
ranging from off-Broadway theaters to museums, have responded to the LMDC’s
recent request for formal expressions of interest from cultural groups
that wish to be a part of the site.” Crain’s
says that more than 10 well-known New York arts and cultural institutions
are working on submissions, as are a number of startups, such as an international
children’s center.
—Tracy F. Ostroff
Copyright 2003 The American Institute of Architects.
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