The current design actually has office space in the podium as well and it seems like the same amount, it’s just that this version does not have a hotel nor condos, which were replaced with more apartments, I would assume that’s one reason why the KPF scheme was chosen, because it pobably had more room for affordable housing units than the DBB scheme.
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That was my thinking too. This design would be complemented 4 WTC even better than 3 and 4 complement each other currently. But since they’ve gone residential I actually prefer something that feels different — the current design has the same
geometrical DNA as the office towers, but its materials and grid help it stand apart.
Yup. In order to maximize 1st floor retail it appears there will be a very small office lobby and tenants will need to take the escalator up to the second floor where there are these 4 office elevators.
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I found it interesting when the plans were leaked (?) that the commercial lobby was on the second floor because there’s not really that much retail underneath where it would’ve been on the first floor. It’s also interesting that there’s an escalator and stairs going down from the ground floor so I wonder what they lead to.
Edit Oh wait nvm, I was looking at the wrong thing about the leading underground part lol, but would’ve been extremely interesting if they had found out a way to connect it to the rest of the Westfield Mall.
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I really like the slightly concave massing of the DBB design, it bookends the ‘spiral’ masterplan perfectly. Overall I like the KPF design’s massing better as the lower levels here are a bit too messy IMO.
I much prefer the DBB design’s facade though, as it complements 1, 3, 4, and 7 WTC much better. The KPF facade seems much more related to surrounding residential towers like 10 Barclay or 123 Washington but doesn’t make for a strong relationship with the angular, all-glass WTC.
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A construction schedule for the tower:
If they won’t get behind schedules, construction should begin not after June, and foundation work should complete at the end of the year.
Source:
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That pptx is not a real pptx, it literally says so in the title. It is a mock presentation, for the interns to study.
Besides the fact that the time table indicates that excavation should have already started, and the site hasnt even been cleared yet with no signs of doing so imminently…
If Tower 5 was imminently near the beginning of construction, all the major architecture/development news websites and news companies would be all over it, not to mention that KPF would obviously have insight into the project.
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It is a mock presentation from someone who has been in an internship program at the company, according to the description.
The mentioned source of this graphic mentions it as the schedule of the company so it could be a legit diagram used as a part of the mock too.
Either way this slide was created at the second half of 2022 and schedules could have changed, and the reality of the site today (work didn’t begin yet, and the schedule says it should only start in the coming 2-3 months. In addition some office containers were cleared from the site in the past months.)
The few exterior renders and plans that were leaked last year also indicate that they were working on the final details of the design.
That is why i’m not so skeptic.
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That is not correct, the graphic shows excavation work beginning in the 2nd quarter of this year, which has now started, not the 3rd.
If you read the full description of the pptx slideshow, it says the presentation focuses on the interns ideas of the project, not the actual developers.
That actually doesn’t mean anything, as I said, KPF would have insight of the project, and someone releasing/leaking material doesn’t equate to a project being in the final stages of design as one would have no knowledge of what phases of the design the material posted was at. Things looking “completed” doesn’t mean something is in the final phases of design.
All we know right now is that the project may begin this year and has been slated to, but there is no indication or current validity to those past claims and schedules yet, it has nothing to do with skepticism or optimism or pessimism of the project.
The second quarter of 2023 begins today, so if the schedule is true - the crews should start working during these next 3 months, It doesn’t mean work begins right away when the quarter starts like you seem to interpret it.
Just because KPF didn’t mention anything about construction yet, doesn’t mean it can’t start somewhen soon.
We will wait and see 
I think you didn’t understand my message
The 2nd quarter of the year begins today and has 3 months, it doesn’t mean work must begin immediately with the quarter’s start…
(and schedules can get changes and delays to be caused, regardless - but it’s not my point).
In addition, probably KPF has an “insight”, and we could see the development news websites picking on it - after the beggining of works is announced (which didn’t happen, yet, but could happen soon).
If you are expecting KPF to come with an announcement right before work begins, I think it’s wrong, and we should look up to the developers themselves in the coming weeks and months.
For instance (of why I dispell a sync between KPF and the work itself), last year they made an announcement regarding the construction of a supertall designed in Israel (by the same lead architect of 5WTC, btw) - only 2 years after work began and that was after the foundations were poured.
Also, my pessimism/optimisim was about the legitimacy of the schedule - and not the project…
Overall, what I was saying is that there is a possibility that this schedule is real, or based on previous expectations at Silverstein’s, and can be altered by delays and issues, which happens a lot.
I believe we will see it starting this year, but the question is still when.
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Ok, thank you for clarifying your first point.
When I said KPF has insight, that’s not a probably statement, architecture firms are involved with projects every step of the way from inception to completion, I was not stating that they would be the ones to announce anything though, thats far from my point. I was more making the point as I literally said it, someone leaking something about a project, whether it looks finished or not, does not mean a project is near the final design phase.
That schedule is the same schedule that has been around for about 3 years and has just changed visuals along the way. Ofcourse schedules can change, that’s an understatement, but just because it’s there doesnt mean its a valid thing to go off of. It’s a similar stance for 175 Park Ave’s schedule.
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Agreed
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“and give 9/11 survivors and first responders a home in the neighborhood they helped rebuild”
When are they gonna get it through their thick head. Survivors and first responders do not want to live at Ground Zero. For a lot of them that was the most traumatic event in their entire lives, they don’t want to be at ground zero
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They need to stop getting input from these cry babies and get the thing off the ground already. What’s the hold up here?
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Is this finally going to happen?
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5 WTC will eventually get built, that’s out of the question, when it will get built is in question though, but I still don’t think the recent development with the switch from 25% to 30% affordable housing is going to make the project move forward.
As always with every proposed project at this site, the game is always: will it beat 2WTC?
We need a wheel where 9/10 of the slices are YES. Give it a spin and I’m sure this will go up next.
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Even though 2 WTC technically has an advantage/head start over 5 WTC since it hasn’t even started excavation while the former is already built to street level, I think it’s for certain that 5 WTC will be completed before 2 WTC.
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