Freedom Tower

Following the destruction of the World Trade Center towers in the September 11, 2001 attacks, and the aftermath, there was much debate over how to use the site, dubbed "ground zero." Proposals began almost immediately, and by 2002, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, who own the right to develop the site, organized a competition through the newly created Lower Manhattan Development Corporation to determine how to use the land. Public rejection of the first round of designs, the "Preliminary Design Concepts," led to a second, more open competition in December 2002, the "Innovative Design Study," in which a design by Daniel Libeskind was selected. This design went through many revisions, largely because of disagreements with developer Larry Silverstein, who held the lease to the World Trade Center site on September 11, 2001.

As in Libeskind's original plan, the Freedom Tower will be 1776 feet tall (541.4 meters), to commemorate the year in which the United States declared its independence, making it the tallest skyscraper in the world. In consonance with Childs' revisions, the tower will include an unoccupied section at the top that will house broadcast antennae and windmills capable of generating 20% of the building's energy. The design of the twisting glass and steel tower is intended to evoke the Statue of Liberty, with a 276-foot spire resembling her torch. The building will have 70 stories of office space, restaurants on the 71st and 72nd floors, and a viewing platform on the 73rd floor. Safety features in the building will include blast resistant glaze on the glass in the lobby and separate staircases for firefighters.

A final design for the tower was formally unveiled on 2006-06-28. To satisfy security issues raised by the New York City Police Department a 187-foot concrete base was added in April of that year. The final design included plans to clad the base in glass prisms to address criticism that the base looked like a "concrete bunker." Contrasting with Libeskind's design, the final design tapers the corners of the base outward as they rise. Its designers stated that the tower will be a "monolithic glass structure reflecting the sky and topped by a sculpted antenna." In terms of a completion date, Larry Silverstein stated "By 2012 we should have a completely rebuilt World Trade Center more magnificent, more spectacular than it ever was." On 2006-04-26, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey approved a conceptual framework that enabled foundation construction to begin while a formal agreement is drafted on the following day, 2006-04-27, the 75th anniversary of the opening of the Empire State Building. Construction began with a formal ceremony that took place when the construction team arrived. It is projected that steel for the building will be visible above grade in 2008, with a topping out in 2010. The building is projected to be ready for occupancy in the first quarter of 2011.