The Freedom Tower

“The owner of the World Trade Center site gave developer Larry Silverstein a six-month extension to build an office tower, the Associated Press said, giving him time to adjust the design to accommodate investment banking giant Merrill Lynch & Co.
A 2006 agreement between developer Silverstein and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey gave him until 2012 to complete the tower designed by British architect Richard Rogers, or give up development rights to all three towers he is building at ground zero.
Merrill Lynch, now located at the World Financial Center opposite ground zero, negotiated last fall with Silverstein and considered moving to midtown near Penn Station. But the firm decided not to move shortly after it posted a $2.24 billion (€1.42 billion) third-quarter loss, leading to the departure of its chief executive officer last fall.
The six-month extension approved by the Port Authority would let Silverstein build the foundation differently for the tower, possibly to accommodate wider trading floors that Merrill Lynch had opted for last fall.
“This extension gives us the time to design and construct a modified building foundation that could accommodate Merrill’s specialized requirements,” World Trade Center Properties President Janno Lieber, adding that developers still plan to complete construction in 2012.”