1 WTC; The Port Authority and the Durst Organization

Goodbye 2012. We don’t even miss you. Now, onto more pressing issues, like what cool architecture will make headlines in 2013? Yes, we foresee some big names and a starchitect or two in the mix, but there are plenty of sleeper candidates in there too. Pirated buildings? Check. Cardboard buildings? Check again. If all goes to plan, we may even see the world’s tallest skyscraper be built in just in time for the launch of Breaking Bad season 5.5 (coming March 2013). Click on through for our pick for the top architecture to watch this year.

One World Trade Center

After a decade of intense debate, multiple delays, and questionable design revisions, One World Trade Center will finally peak at 1,776 feet to become the country’s tallest tower. The exteriors are expected to be completed in 2013, and the structure’s controversial stripped-back spire to be hoisted into place in the same time. (The building isn’t schedule for to open until 2014.) When that happens, the Manhattan skyline will have been restored, so to speak, with 1 WTC serving as a visual counterbalance to the magnetic pull of the Empire State Building in Midtown. The lackluster design is almost beside the point; the real event is the tower’s full realization, which is nothing short of miraculous, given the conflict of interests involved in its making.

Image: The Port Authority and the Durst Organization

by Architizer Editors

posted in Uncategorized

tagged 2013, Architecture, Changsha, china, la, new year, new york

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