Good and bad news on this building, which you guys want first
Yo i got some 2wtc newsā¦ good and badā¦ so which one u want first?Ok before I tell uā¦ this info came directly from the lead foreman. . No rumor or speculation. Got it? Ok so 2 wtc has had some major structural design changes agianā¦ nobody on the outside knows yet. Well the foundation is getting demolished and redone. Yea down into the basements. Because of core design changes. Thereās a weird setback in the upper floors that needs foundation changes. Also new column placments are needed for building weight supportā¦ but we knew that already. The badā¦Its gonna be another year of foundation work before any core or steel rise. All this news hurt manā¦ i was anxious for this to riseā¦ and now another year has to go by before any real progress is done. 3 wtc will be fully topped out before 2 gets off the ground.
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Thatās every reply copied and pasted in our conversation
Blue: fence
Red: scaffolding and new walkway
Yellow: blocked walkways in future for construction site
Tom, your source sounds good, but he may have miscomprehended something. Given the expiration of News Corpās lease in 2020, I donāt know if a further year delay is tenable.
Also if BIGās design requires so much extra work, is it financially feasible for Larry?
When the BIG design was released, they stated expressly that extensive engineering studies were conducted which revealed that the new design could work with the existing foundation.
Yes, Iām a bit surprised that they discovered just now that they have to re-do the foundation. Definitely, I would assume a one year delay would be a bit problematic or makes things really close to have the tower delivered to Newscorp on time.
Bad news, Newscorp is holding off. 
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Wow, that sux. Iām assuming this delay is the cause.
what a shame. While i do not appreciate BIGās design, I was looking forward to 2 WTC finally beginning construction.
Maybe Fosterās design might be resurrected, who knows? Ingels was only brought in because of Murdoch, Silverstein made no secret that Fosterās 2 WTC was his favorite design so we shall seeā¦
Considering the significant costs and complications with changing the design vis-a-vis the foundations already built for Fosterās tower, I assume that Fosterās design will rise here.
Maybe Larry will give Jamie D a deal.
The good thing is that News Corp likely will anchor a new Tower in time since it only extended its lease by 5 years and not 15.
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If the Foster design does get revived, will it still be geared towards financial tenants or will they be able to tweak the interiors and floor plates for media companies?
As for Foxās next HQ, I can see them going to the Hudson Yards.
I think that a bank will go there. Maybe JP Morgan Chase.
Itās clear that building Fosterās design is the most efficient way to go.
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I wonder how the cost would factor into a bank like JP Morgan taking up space. They backed out of a HY tower, so it makes me a little uneasy about WTC2 given that the rent per sq-ft would be a lot higher than anything in HY. Comcast could be a good tenant, as they are always looking for space, but I doubt they will relocate from Philly, especially with their new super tall rising.
But I would like to see Chase take up the space. Its a perfect tower for them if they keep the Foster design.
I think they balked with the HY bec Ross wanted them to take the rest of the space in 30 HY and to fill 55 HY. Also, the city wouldnāt subsidize it.
JPMC clearly seeks new space and few sites can accommodate the trading floors it needs. Hopefully, under President Romney, Dodd-Frank will die.
From the beginning, all 2 WTC needs has been a tenant. Given the timeline of the other towers, it was expected that Fosterās 2 WTC would be the last to rise in the rebuilding. As the rest of the complex becomes filled and the transit hub opens up, Fosterās 2 WTC will become more valuable and desired with time, at which point companies will be going to Silverstein. I think if Foster revisits his design and makes the interior of the building more flexible/customizable/modernized and marketable, heāll have a tenant within a year or two. What shouldnāt happen is the demolition of the foundation ā that sounds very risky and a waste of time/money, IMHO.
I think that Fosterās design is good to go. That design just didnāt work for News Corp.
BIGās initial analysis that its tower could rise on Fosterās foundation without incurring significant costs was clearly wrong.
NewsCorp wanted this deal, and it was basically done. Larry is schrewd, and he wouldnāt have plastered this all over his website if it werenāt nearly certain.
This foundation was made for Fosterās tower, and clearly, thatās what will be built .
The WTC website hasnāt been updated to reflect the sudden change of plans but obviously the big question is, how is Silverstein gonna try and win back Foster? Would Silverstein essentially dump Bjarke Ingels in the same way that he did with Lord Foster last year? Talk about pulling a complete 180ā¦
I donāt think that Larry needs to win back Foster. Larry didnāt dump Foster. Fosterās tower just didnāt work for News Corp. Larry was very gracious about it.
Also, Fister clearly would want his tower to rise. This is probably the best tower heās ever designed. The WTC is one of the most prestigious sites/projects in the world. Lastly, heād make more money.
I hope that Tishman or Related use Bigās design in the HY. Itās a stunning tower. Dorks on other forums bashed it only because itās in NY.
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