Bjarke Ingels Confirmed to Replace Norman Foster in the Design of 2 World Trade Center
Back in April, word broke that starchitect Bjarke Ingels was in talks to re-design 2 World Trade Center, as News Corp. and 21st Century Fox mulled over a downtown move. Now the Post’s Steve Cuozzo reports that the rumors are rapidly closing in on reality as both media companies have signed a non-binding but detailed letter of intent with developer Larry Silverstein to anchor the new 80-plus-story tower that pins Ingels as the architect. The news conglomerate would occupy 1.3 million square feet of the available 2.8 million square feet—a portion significant enough to jumpstart construction of the tower that has been stalled since 2008.
However, the most interesting bit of this news is obviously the ousting of Norman Foster to make way for Ingels. Although Foster’s tower has long been considered by most to be the prettiest of the bunch designed for the 9/11 site, the decade-old design has been deemed unsuitable for the needs of Silverstein’s target tenants. As the Post explains: “Ingels’ 2 WTC design would replace an earlier one for the site by British architect Norman Foster, which was intended mainly for financial firms. Ingels’ tower would still fit in with site planner Daniel Libeskind’s original location and height rules.”
“This isn’t your grandfather’s Wall Street,” Silverstein said in a separate statement, pointing to the area’s transformation into a media hub.
The new building would incorporate studios, newsrooms, open floor plans, and around 100,000 square feet of retail.
News Corp. and Fox are expected to decide whether or not they will make the move by the end of the year. The lease at their current home base at 1185 and 1211 Sixth Avenue ends in 2020 with the option to renew.
RELATED:
- 2 World Trade Center May Ditch Norman Foster’s Design for a Bjarke Ingels Skyscraper
- Norman Foster’s 2 World Trade Center Could Get a Jumpstart Thanks to Rupert Murdoch
- Why Was Norman Foster’s Design for the New York Public Library’s Flagship Building Dropped?
- VIDEO: Bjarke Ingels Takes Us Through His 57th Street Pyramid ‘Courtscraper’
