r/skyscrapers

The one world trade center is not a good evolution for the world trade center complex, in it's looks.

Here's why.

the building is way too different from the original twin tower complex. It lacks many defining details like the huge cathedral like lobby. it's unique because many skyscrapers dont have such a huge lobby. The world trade center was pretty inviting with the big open windows but it's definitely a bit baren there in the lobby and plaza. The towers do look a bit too monolithic and blank, I believe that it could have used some more detail and widen the windows a bit. art deco? There's no clear certain plaza area and it's tight and cluttered with trees. The memorial pools are a cool idea but adding a open plaza would be a good addition. It adds a cinematic aspect. When you enter the plaza it opens up in a cool way like a reveal almost. That's what's cool about the original plaza. there's a garrys mod addon that has a twin towers map. I think it's great https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1767145132 The one world trade center lacks those very cool open windows. It's causes you to get lost a bit when you try to find the entrance and feels closed off and uninviting. There's a gimic of it having led lights that show stuff which ruins the vibe and makes it more like the brain melting corporate times square. Ads everywhere in times square. Not pretty like they say. I'm not a fan of ads. The one world trade center goes with a shard like shape and flat blue glass. It lacks detail and texture like the original twin towers gave with tight columns. Another defining detail. You could argue that the one world trade center does have a bit more detail because the glass is not super opaque so you can see inside a bit but the thing is. It's still flat and in most lighting conditions the one world trade center looks flat. The thing is that makes the twin towers better in this part is that when you come up close, you see more detail. It's got a lot of depth. The one wtc has a shard like shape that takes away from the originals rectangular shape. The one wtc does not have 2 towers also which takes away alot from the bit iconic factor. The whole famous thing. The reason why it's nickname is it's nickname. Twin Towers! And more precisely identical equal unified towers. The one wtc has gimics like the roof in the oculus opens up, it's 1776 feet tall, and one which honestly feels mean is them pointing out the fact that a building there at the right perspective reflects the tower giving the illusion of 2 towers. The originals where meant to be equal. The architect even did not want the antenna on the north tower because it ruined the unity. from https://911memorial.org/learn/resources/digital-exhibitions/world-trade-center-history "Architect Minoru Yamasaki vehemently opposed the mast, arguing that it would destroy the symmetry of the towers and 'throw the silhouette of downtown Manhattan out of balance.'" and now, we Invision a gradual accent thing with buildings next to it. The wtc that's starting construction, wtc 2. is not the same height and identical. People online even want it to be identical I've noticed, there's a lot of posts of visualization of that and I made a poll and so far when I checked most people said the twin towers where better. There's definitely though some cool aspects of it like the amazing safety it has and how strong it is. But it lacks the original things. If someone who knew only the twin towers exist and saw this they would think likely. "Oh, that looks kinda interesting. It's kinda similar to the twin towers almost. But..." Then they likely would point out some of the things I point out. In the end, they would likely consider this a different unrelated building that might have been lightly inspired by the twin towers. And now here's 2 final details, the fact that the one wtc lacks a open air rooftop observation deck is not cool. That's a great detail and would be very entertaining. And the one wtc is not unique from the other buildings around it, it's got a common boring asthetic in my opinion of modernist commercial shiny glass with no feeling of pernamence. It's a melancholy depressing shard, a gravestone to the originals, a monument of what's lost drowning in greif. It fails to move on while carrying the legacy of the original. Building off of what's great. It falls too far into politics and being acceptable Rather than bold like the twin towers where. Nobody had made the skeleton on the outside, never that tall, never that much space, never so big and complex that it was like a mini city. All in all, I think that the one wtc is not as good as the twin towers but the twin towers are not as good as the empire state building or especially the woolworth building. Empire state less pretty than woolworth. But that's my opinion.

Neo Gothic is not everyone's cup of tea. But there's definitely something wrong with the One WTC.