It is not because things are difficult that we do not dare;
it is because we do not dare that things are difficult.
— Seneca
We must rebuild the towers. They are a symbol of our achievement as New Yorkers and as Americans
and to put them back says that we cannot be defeated. — Robert A.M. Stern | September 23, 2001
This is more of a concept than a plan. It has developed over many years and every angle has been analyzed and researched. The details that we include are simply our preferences and the images are just approximations. The whole purpose is to encourage a real examination and discussion of what is possible.
We hope it will inspire a communal effort to reverse the downward spiral that began on 9/11. The 2000-ft. Twin Towers would be the first megatall towers in our hemisphere and feature some of the tallest rooftop decks in the world. We have always envisioned golden towers — or the original silver facade with golden tracing — to symbolize the alchemy that transforming the World Trade Center would have on the future of America and the world.
The Twin Towers were heroic architecture, the epitome of a daring, confident culture. They were incomparable buildings that needed no explaining and made no apologies. Only new Twin Towers could ever live up to the imprint they made on our world.
We envision towers that will the original footprints, which could be done without crowding the site or disturbing the train tracks below. We don’t pretend to know the structural requirements of building that high, but, we believe that it can be done by employing the confident, creative, resolute spirit that built the originals.
One of the keys to this proposal is that it would greatly enhance the elements of the site that are there today. And far from being a drain on a struggling city, it would be the greatest visitor draw imaginable. We are not suggesting replicas of the original towers — for many reasons. For one thing, they would not have the same impressive presence in the 21st-century skyline that they once did. Only by going higher will the new towers capture the essence of the originals.
Even though there are already three taller towers in other countries, with ever taller towers to follow, the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center will always be the most celebrated towers on Earth…
