Daniel Libeskind’s

Project Ground

The following is a detailed critical analysis of architect Daniel Libeskind and his work on Project Ground ZERO…

This illustrated essay serves as partial fulfillment of the course requirements of the studies on Contemporary History and Theory of Architecture I (AAR 3104)

By

Blessing Mukome (N0113440P)

NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Faculty of the Built Environment

Department of Architecture

Project Ground Zero: The background

September 11, 2001 - 19 al-

Qaeda terrorists hijacked four

commercial passenger jet airliners.

The hijackers intentionally crashed

two of the airliners into the Twin

Towers of the World Trade Center in

New York City, killing everyone on

board and many others working in

the buildings. Both buildings

collapsed within two hours,

destroying nearby buildings and

damaging others. 2,973 victims

and the 19 hijackers died as a result

of the entire attacks.

On the day of the attacks, New York City mayor Rudy

Giuliani proclaimed, "We will rebuild. We're going to

come out of this stronger than before, politically

stronger, and economically stronger. The skyline will

be made whole again. Indeed, New York has seen

reconstruction on Ground ZERO - on the sites of the

destroyed buildings, one, 7 World Trade Center, has

a new office tower which was completed in 2006. The

1 World Trade Center (or Freedom Tower) is currently

under construction at the site and at 1,776 ft (541

m) upon completion in 2011, will become one of the

tallest buildings in North America.

1

The Architect

Daniel Libeskind was born in postwar Poland in 1946. As a youngster he moved with his family to Israel in 1957 and to the United

States in 1959. Studied music in Israel but left music to study architecture.

Professional architecture degree in 1970 from the Cooper Union.

Postgraduate degree in History and Theory of Architecture at the School of

Comparative Studies at Essex University (England) in 1972. Has taught and lectured at many universities worldwide. He has held such

positions as the Frank O. Gehry Chair at the University of Toronto.

Influences

Childhood propelled by music

His transition to architecture was the culmination of his interests in mathematics,

painting, and the arts.

Libeskind did not want to imitate designs, but instead wanted to develop his

own notions. So he decided to pursue teaching and develop` his theories of

design rather than actually creating buildings, because of his seemingly

inconceivable ideas at that time.

His first building – the Jewish Museum Berlin – became his first design

breakthrough.

His works have the reflection of the history (past), says of the

time (present) and run to the infinity (future)

2

Libeskind’s Design Philosophy & Deconstructivism

Design Philosophy

Daniel Libeskind believes that architecture has entered nearly an end condition, and that it has lost its reputation and the everyday

architecture is dead.

His venture into Deconstruction is as a result of his wanting to give his works some movement and life.

Libeskind thought of architecture as a connector or linkage of present, past and future – and so most of his works have the reflection

of the history (past), says of the time (present) and run to the infinity (future).

His buildings are not just buildings; they are metaphors, “A writer is not interested in writings; he just wants to tell a story.” he says.

To Libeskind, architecture is a medium to communicate the beauty of a space, of life and shadow.

In his life dislocation, destruction and survival are powerful elements.

Libeskind is determined to get away from the simplified view of architecture’s tradition, and his aim is emotionally to

create a space which emotionally moves the soul…

The Deconstructivist Movement

There was a reaction against Modern Architecture and Design that began in the 1970s. The

problem was Modernism itself – its strict but naïve FUNCTIONALISM.

Incepted in the 1980s, Deconstructivism is an avant-garde movement that

DE-CONSTRUCTS the closed forms of the Modern Movement and accept

that the character of elements is complex and derived from the

interaction of many other adjacent elements. Deconstructivism:

1. Explodes architectural form

2. Destroys the dominance of the right angle

3. Derives from Russian Constructivism

4. Explores DYNAMIC spatial possibilities considered forbidden

by the Modern Movement.

5. Provokes shock, uncertainty, unease, etc.

6. Rejects the idea of the `perfect form'

3

The exteriorities of Deconstructivist architecture 4

Project Ground ZERO & the Freedom Tower

Studio Daniel Libeskind’s design study was selected (from a design competition

organized by the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation for the lease holder as of

September 11, 2001 – Larry Silverstein) in February 2003 as the master site plan for the

rebuilding of the World Trade Center Site. In addition to the Freedom Tower -a towering

spire of 1776 feet (541,32 m) that is to replace the twin towers in their former position

- the plan proposed a complex program which called for the construction of a memorial

with waterfalls, an underground museum, a visitor center, retail space, a special transit

hub and four office towers spiraling to the height of the freedom tower.

During the years that followed the designing of the Freedom Tower, Daniel Libeskind's

plan underwent many changes. Libeskind worked with skyscraper architect, David M.

Childs, on plans for Freedom Tower for nearly a year. According to most reports, the

partnership was stormy. However, by December 2003 they had developed a design that

combined Libeskind's vision with ideas that Childs wanted. David Childs eventually

became the lead designer for Freedom Tower, which was later renamed 1 World Trade

Center. Daniel Libeskind became the master planner for the entire World Trade Center

complex, coordinating the overall design and reconstruction

The following illustrations and sketches in the following pages show Daniel Libeskind’s

original design for the Freedom Tower

5

What it could have been:

Daniel Libeskind’s original design

Libeskind's original plan called for a 1,776-foot (541m) spindle-shaped "Freedom Tower"

with 7.5 million square feet of office space and room for indoor gardens above the 70th

floor. At the center of the World Trade Center complex, a 70-foot pit would expose the

concrete foundation walls of the former Twin Tower buildings.

Daniel Libeskind’s brand consists of sharp, angular, metallic shards, with gravity-defying

walls, and conveys the unmistakable thrill of transgression – and this is shown in his original

design for the Freedom Tower, which bears resemblances with the Statue of Liberty.

“I arrived by ship to New York as a teenager, an immigrant, and like millions of others before

me, my first sight was the Statue of Liberty and the amazing skyline of Manhattan. I have

never forgotten that sight or what it stands for. This is what this project is all about.”

- Daniel LIBESKIND

6

The Design Concept

It is notable that Libeskind's symbolism emerges from his prominent philosophy:

The past - the year the United States got its independence (1776) being translated to the height of the Freedom Tower 1,776 feet.

The present – the response to the state of the site as a result of the September 11 attacks; as well as commemorating the lost lives in the features

of the design itself.

The future – The Freedom Tower has a spire that would set off center, like the torch on the Statue of Liberty – exuding an element of hope for the

future. Libeskind himself describes this as “a 1776 foot skyscraper that rises above its predecessors, reasserting the pre-eminence of freedom and

beauty, restoring the spiritual peak to the city, creating a building that speaks of our vitality in the face of danger and our optimism in the aftermath

of tragedy.”

7

Number 17: Democratic vs. authoritarian

The architect describes ground zero as a complex project that is:

Emotional – there are so many interests involved; there are the emotions

of the many victims…

Political - there is political power; there is money involved…

Daniel Libeskind already is an architect that is inspired by contrasting dynamics

(from his 17 words of architectural inspiration); and so he makes use of the

“messiness” (that is, the complexity described above) in this project to draw up

his inspiration for Ground ZERO: Democratic vs. authoritarian.

8

“Those who were lost have become heroes.

To commemorate those lost lives, I created two large public

places, the Park of Heroes and the Wedge

of Light. Each year on September 11th

, between the hours of 8:46 a.m., when the first airplane hit,

and 10:28 a.m., when the second tower collapsed, the sun will shine without shadow, in perpetual tribute to

altruism and courage.” - Daniel Libeskind

9

.

His Genius Loci…

From Libeskind’s 17 words of architectural inspiration, we can draw a number of design

trends and aspects that we can relate to the scheme of the Freedom Tower.

Below are just some of these similarities:

10

Outlook

It would have been interesting to see Libeskind’s original

design concept of the Freedom tower come to fruition.

Daniel Libeskind posed an ambitious plan for

reconstruction on Ground Zero – exhibiting much of his

design philosophy as well as his emphasis on past,

present and future. All of his designs – from the Jewish

Museum to his work on the Ground ZERO project, present

a nexus shown by the relationship of Libeskind's buildings

to their surroundings. The life of traditional environments

is not just seen in the forms themselves, but contains the

seeds of its own dissemination. Rather, Libeskind's

inspiration (that is usually based on a strong element of

contrast) brings out his buildings to stand as sterile

objects within the city – and he brings that out in a very

good way. Unlike traditional architecture which is both

lived and reproduced, by dint of its origins in relatively

simple human activities, the architecture Libeskind

provides would serve to propagate only an avant-garde

elite which, for all its talk of openness, thrives on a new

form of mystification. That’s as good as deconstructivism

gets.

11

Illustrated essay on Daniel LIBESKIND Contemporary History and Theory of Architecture I ● AAR 3104

By:

Blessing Mukome [NO113440P]

Bachelor of Architectural Studies (Hons) Degree, NUST

Sources

Rochan, Lisa. "Libeskind shows genius for complexity" (http://www.theglobeandmail.com), "The Globe and Mail", February 28, 2003

"1 World Trade Center" (http://www.wtc.com/about/freedom-tower/freedom-tower-Freedom). WTC.com. Retrieved November 1, 2013

Architecture – Daniel Libeskind, Master Planner for the New York World Trade Center. (http://architecture.about.com/library/bl-libeskind-statement.htm).

About.com. Retrieved November 10, 2013.

"What Ever Happened to Daniel Libeskind's Original WTC Freedom Tower Design?" (http://inhabitat.com/nyc/the-tower-that-could-have-been-daniel-

libeskinds-award-winning-wtc-design/) Inhabitat.com. September 7, 2011. Retrieved November 13, 2013.

B. Hanson, N. Salingaros (2009). In the Cause for Architecture: Death, Life and Libeskind. (http://architecturalrecord.com)

“Freedom Tower” (www.arcspace.com)

“One World Trade Center” (www.archdaily.com)

Official Studio Libeskind homepage (http://www.daniel-libeskind.com/index.html)

Daniel Libeskind papers, 1968–1992 (http://library.getty.edu/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?BBID=268944).

Research Library at the Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles, California

Libeskind (2001). Daniel Libeskind (ISBN 0-7893-0496-1)

Libeskind (2004). Breaking Ground (ISBN 1-57322-292-5)

Libeskind (2008). Counterpoint (ISBN 1-58093-206-1)