Rendering of the future downtown skyline

The master plan to redevelop the World Trade Center (WTC)'s main 16 acres was completed September 7th as developer Silverstein Properties unveiled designs for towers two, three, and four. Speaking from the top floor of 7 World Trade Center, Larry Silverstein stood with Governor George Pataki to introduce the trio of slim, iconic towers that fill out the WTC's east side.

All three towers are to be completed by 2012

The significance of the three towers' simultaneous unveiling reflects the collaborative spirit behind them. Since May, each tower's architecture team worked on the 25^th floor of 7 WTC to create its individual design -- while proximity enabled the teams also to complement one another's visions.

"Today, three brilliant architects from around the globe have given New York and the nation a great gift in the tremendous buildings they have designed," said Pataki. "Like our great city, these tower designs, joined by the Freedom Tower, [WTC] Transportation Hub, and grand memorial, will fuse different approaches and perspectives and create an entirety that will be even richer in its beauty and more extraordinary in its entirety than the sum of its parts."

Click here to view an animation of the new tower designs.

Towers two, three, and four were designed, respectively, by Lord Norman Foster, Lord Richard Rogers, and Fumihiko Maki. They were all present at the unveiling, alongside master planner Daniel Libeskind, who praised each architect for his creativity and unique incorporation of each design into a unified site.

"Today's announcement is another step forward in our collective efforts to cement Lower Manhattan as one of the greatest comeback stories in New York history," Doctoroff said. "These towers will provide a stunning testament to New Yorkers' courage, imagination, and determination to rebuild better than before, creating new connections with the surrounding neighborhoods, bringing life to the streets through above ground retail, and forming a striking new commercial corridor."

The new towers, located at 200 Greenwich, 175 Greenwich, and 150 Greenwich, comprise 6.2 million square feet of office space and a half million square feet of interconnected retail space. Situated along the restored street grid at the WTC site, they will occupy the blocks between Greenwich and Church Streets and Liberty and Vesey Streets (with Santiago Calatrava's Transportation Hub occupying the area between towers two and three, between Dey and Fulton Streets).

The skyline the buildings will create is in keeping with Libeskind's overarching vision for the site, which means that together they form a sort of descending spiral, starting from the Freedom Tower at the northwest corner, continuing to tower four at the southeast corner, and winding down to ultimately arrive at the WTC Memorial at the core of the site.

Silverstein plans to continue the extensive safety and environmental measures he established for 7 WTC and the Freedom Tower, committing that each of the new towers will achieve at least a gold rating under the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program. A long list of life-safety features also factor into the towers' designs, which are planned to far exceed New York City's current building codes.

Construction of each tower will begin as soon as the Port Authority completes its excavation and construction of a new "bathtub" on the east side of the site, between Greenwich and Church Streets. With that work now in progress, Silverstein expects all three towers to be completed by 2012.

About the Towers

Lord Foster's Tower Two, located at 200 Greenwich Street, will rise 78 stories (1,254 feet) and house 2.3 million square feet of office and 143,000 square feet of retail space. The tower appears to be made of four slim blocks that top off in diamond shapes, drawing in light to its column-free floors. On the west side of the 59^th floor, the glass façade begins its slant upward to the east, drawing attention and sending morning sunlight to the memorial. In particular, the diagonal "roof" accommodates Libeskind's "wedge of light" concept, which casts no shadows on the memorial on the day of September 11^th each year. (To view a slide show of Tower Two designs, click here.)

Towers' architects attend unveiling

Tower Three, at 175 Greenwich Street, is Lord Rogers's contribution to the site. Just south of the Calatrava Transportation Hub, it features 2.1 million square feet of office and 133,000 square feet of retail space across 71 stories (1,155 feet). The tower's exterior structure uses a diamond-shaped bracing that allows all corners of the tower to be column-free, creating unimpeded panoramic views. (To view a slide show of Tower Three designs, click here.)

Maki's Tower Four, at 150 Greenwich, fills its 61 stories (947 feet) with 1.8 million square feet of office and 146,000 square feet of retail space. Its minimalist, angular design completes the master plan's descending spiral to the memorial, with its four corners all at varying topographical elevations, including a significant façade setback on its western side that conjures a single step. Sections of the façade glass sandwich perforated meshed metal to provide shading on the interior and a transparent, reflective quality on the exterior. (To view a slide show of Tower Four designs, click here.)

Each of the towers features a reinforced steel-and-concrete core that encases its life-safety systems. All three towers also will be home to grand, heightened office lobbies and open pedestrian entries to at- and below-grade contiguous retail concourses.

The distinct appearance and innovative details of each tower underscore the brilliance of the individual architects, who have produced designs that meet a range of structural and spatial requirements while standing out aesthetically.

"These are some of the most stunning buildings you will ever see anywhere in the world," Pataki said.

Click here to view a slide show featuring all three new towers.

Click here to watch an animation featuring a fly through of the area.