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The ArBITAT WTC Archive is a continuing project featuring slideshows, commentaries and images of the past, present and future of the World Trade Center and Lower Manhattan. Since the terrorist attacks in September 2001 that destroyed the entire World Trade Center complex, the site and all of Lower Manhattan has begun to look to design for answers, from the much aligned and rarely respected WTC Master Plan by Daniel Libeskind, to proposed projects by Nicholas Grimshaw, towers by Santiago Calatrava and Frank Gehry, and a new East River esplanade by SHoP and Richard Rogers. Potentially an exciting time to be downtown.

This new format allows us to incorporate additional features including a list of related links at both ArBITAT and external sites, and a discussion forum to include your comments about the ongoing design, redesign and building process.
         
 
Recently Added and Updated Features Include:
WTC Archive Slideshow - New Snohetta Designed Building
WTC Archive Slideshow - Site Conditions July 2005
WTC Archive - Interactive Map Feature
ArBITAT WTC Archive Discussion Board
Updated WTC Related Links and Resources
WTC Archive Slideshow - Santiago Calatrava Designed PATH Station
  
     
 

Imagining Ground Zero
by Suzanne Stephens, Ian Luna
(2004) Rizzoli

A book that tries to be the comprehensive resource at this early stage of design at the World Trade Center site, a problem considering how fluid the Master Plan has been and that major pieces of the design remain in conflict or undesigned....
(read more)
           
 
   
 


 

 
     
 
  Discussion       Recommended  
           

Breaking Ground: Adventures in Life and Architecture
by Daniel Libeskind, Sarah Crichton
(2004) Riverhead Books

Whether you like Daniel Libeskind or not, you'll have to admit that he's led one fascinating life, and one that still remains interesting. This biography doesn't hold back (which means that if you're David Childs you probably won't enjoy this one)...
(read more)

 

Massive Change
by Bruce Mau and the Institute Without Borders
(2004) Phaidon Press

So you say you want a revolution. Massive Change is not a book about the world of design, it is a book about the design of the world, at least that's what it says on the back cover....
(read more)

 

Santiago Calatrava: Complete Works
By Alexander Tzonis
(2004) Rizzoli

Everyone loves Santiago Calatrava, although it might be a bit early to publish a book called Complete Works- considering that he is still alive and working......
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Here Is New York: A Democracy of Photographs
By Gilles Peress, Michael Schulman, Charles Traub
(2002) Scalo

A heavy book (over 8 pounds) about a heavy subject (the terrorist attacks in New York that destroyed the World Trade Center). This is a collection of donated photographs, most by amateur photographers....
(read more)

 

A New World Trade Center
By Max Protetch
(2002) Regan Books

Back when there was still smoke coming out of the World Trade Center, Max Protetch opened a show in his gallery exhibiting ideas from leading architects showing sketches as to what should happen at the site....
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Up From Zero
By Paul Goldberger
(2004) Random House

Unfortunately (or I guess fortunately depending on your perspective) the rebuilding process at the World Trade Center is more than architecture and design.....
(read more)

 

Tall Buildings
By Terence Riley and Guy Nordenson
(2003) Museum of Modern Art

The catalog for one of the last exhibitions to be shown at MoMA QNS, Tall Buildings is a good collection of, well, tall buildings....
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Delirious New York
By Rem Koolhaas
(1994) Monacelli Press

An insightful and important book about everything (planned and unplanned) that makes New York what it is....
(read more)

 


Browse all (recommended) books at books.ArBITAT.com
 
     
 
  Related Links and Resources  
     
  Lower Manhattan Development Corporation (LMDC)  
  The actual agency in charge of the rebuilding process, their site has a history of the planning process as well as LMDC's version of news about current rebuilding developments downtown
www.renewnyc.com (link opens in a new window)
Media Resources at the LMDC Site
  A direct link to the official large format images and videos of the current renderings of the site, a fast internet connection is recommended for this one
www.renewnyc.com/News/mediaresources.asp (Opens in a new window)
Lower Manhattan Info
  A comprehensive and recommended site including news about all of the construction downtown
www.lowermanhattan.info (Opens in a new window)
New York Times Special Coverage - Sept 11
  Relive again and again that horrible day in New York when the WTC was destroyed with interactive graphics and audio dispatches. Free registration at NYTimes.com is (probably) required.
www.nytimes.com/sept11 (Opens in a new window)
Virtual Exhibition of all 5201 WTC Memorial Entries
  If you entered the competition and wanted to see what those other 5200 people came up with, this is your chance. The WTC Site Memorial Competition has scanned and published all of the good and the bad in a tough to navigate site. This link will take you to the very first (numerical) entry and lets you browse through the other 5200, depending on your free time. Click on an image to see a larger, readable image or pick a link on the left side of the page to browse by an entrant's home country or US State.
www.wtcsitememorial.org (Opens in a new window)
Project Rebirth
  Since March 2002, Project Rebirth has situated eight cameras at the World Trade Center, each one takes one frame of film every five minutes, creating a time lapse photography view of all of the action (or lack thereof). A great project and a great site, with lots of webcam views and previews of what will one day be an amazing project.
www.projectrebirth.org (Opens in a new window)
Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
  The Port Authority used to own the World Trade Center, well technically they still do (despite a lease sold to Silverstein Properties). They also own and operate the PATH trains, a short rail system that operates several lines between New Jersey and Manhattan and soon will terminate in a two billion dollar station designed by Santiago Calatrava. Watch for official developments at their official site.
www.panynj,gov (Opens in a new window)
Fulton Street Transit Center
  The other new train station downtown designed by Nicholas Grimshaw, it is supposed to somehow fix an incredibly confusing piece of the New York subway system. The site is a block east of Santiago Calatrava's new station and will connect to it through underground concourses.
www.mta.info (Opens in a new window)
Here Is New York
  It is important to always remember and this is a great place to see images that will be damn hard to forget. Part of a charitable project that included an especially heavy book, Here Is New York brought (mostly) amateur photographers work together in one place, a "democracy of photographs" that include eyewitness accounts of a place and time that redefined the city and the world.
www.hereisnewyork.org (Opens in a new window)
September 11 Families Association
  An extraordinarily powerful voice in the rebuilding process, see their well organized and designed site to follow news, links and information about everything (non design) related to September 11
www.911wvfa.org (Opens in a new window)
Silverstein Properties
  Larry Silverstein's official site, the company that signed a lease on the WTC just before the terrorist attacks and is building WTC 7 and the Freedom Tower with the insurance money
www.silversteinproperties.com (Opens in a new window)
The International Freedom Center
  One of the cultural institutions that will share the newly created mini super block with the actual memorial, the International Freedom Center is still trying to figure out exactly what it wants to be. Check out their site to see if they're making any progress.
www.ifcwtc.org (Opens in a new window)
Drawing Center
  Another controversial member of the originally selected cultural institutions, the Drawing Center presents, well, drawings.
www.drawingcenter.org (Opens in a new window)
Joyce International Dance Center
  One of the two performing arts institutions scheduled for the Frank Gehry designed WTC performing arts building.
www.joyce.org (Opens in a new window)
The Signature Theatre
  A unique drama theatre company that is scheduled to share a building with the Joyce Dance Center.
www.signaturetheatre.org (Opens in a new window)
World Trade Center Memorial Foundation
  The organization responsible for raising money and coordinating the memorial and on site cultural facilities.
www.wtcmemorialfoundation.org (Opens in a new window)
Architectural Record WTC Index
  A single place to read all of the WTC related articles and news items published in Architectural Record
archrecord.construction.com/news/wtc (Opens in a new window)
Daniel Libeskind at ArBITAT Architects
  In places other than the World Trade Center site, Daniel Libeskind actually designs and builds buildings
architects.arbitat.com/libeskind (Opens in a new window)
David Childs/SOM at ArBITAT Architects
  Not the best choice to design Lower Manhattan's ultimate symbol, but it's too late to change that now.
architects.arbitat.com/som (Opens in a new window)
Santiago Calatrava at ArBITAT Architects
  The (current) star of the World Trade Center and architect of its (currently) lone praised building
architects.arbitat.com/calatrava (Opens in a new window)
Frank Gehry at ArBITAT Architects
  Sooner or later every building everywhere will be designed by Frank Gehry
architects.arbitat.com/gehry (Opens in a new window)
Construction Report at ArBITAT Views
  See progress reports of construction at David Childs' WTC 7 at ArBITAT Construction Reports
views.arbitat.com/construction (Opens in a new window)
FutureWatch at ArBITAT Views
  Follow all of those changing dates at ArBITAT FutureWatch
views.arbitat.com/futurewatch (Opens in a new window)
ArBITAT Discussion
 

Architecture, Design, Life
discussion.arbitat.com (Opens in a new window)

           
 
  Now at ArBITAT