Bjarke Ingels’ planned design for Two World Trade Center (2 WTC) is out. As the New York Post reports, Silverstein Properties has dropped the 2015 tower proposal in favor of Foster + Partners‘ original vision.
A newer rendering of the building has yet to be released, but Larry Silverstein and Norman Foster are reportedly making numerous alterations to the 2006 design. “The old design is being significantly modified to be more reflective of contemporary needs and taste,” Silverstein told The Post.
Foster had initially conceived of the 88-story building as a singular skyscraper that split into a segmented, diamond-shaped fractal topper, but was passed over after much back and forth for the boxier, more contemporary scheme.
BIG had designed a 1,340-foot-tall tower with a series of setbacks starting from the bottom of the building all the way to the top. From certain angles, it resembled six glass boxes stacked on top of one another, each getting smaller the higher the 80-story tower rose. At the time, 21st Century Fox and Rubert Murdoch’s News Corporation were anticipated to move into 2 WTC, though by early 2016 it became clear they wouldn’t, and the lack of an anchor tenant likely slowed down construction.
Silverstein said that he plans to lease out “Tower Two” this year, meaning the final design should be released somewhat soon.
Two World Trade Center is the final tower left in Silverstein’s grand plan for the World Trade Center complex and is sited on the corner next Santiago Calatrava’s Oculus at Church and Vesey Streets.