The Freedom Tower

New York prosecutors are investigating whether a firm that tested concrete foundations at the future Yankee Stadium and the World Trade Center’s signature new tower falsified test results or billed for tests never done, a law enforcement official said Friday.

Newsday, the Long Island newspaper, says investigators executed search warrants Friday at Testwell Laboratories Inc. offices in Queens, suburban Ossining in upstate New York and at Yankee Stadium, an official familiar with the investigation told The Associated Press. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation had not previously been made public.

Prosecutors are exploring whether Testwell falsified some test results, double- and triple-billed for some tests and charged clients for tests the firm never conducted, the official told the AP.

The $1.3 billion new Yankee Stadium _ being built across the street from the team’s former home in the Bronx _ is a focus of the probe, as is the Freedom Tower, the 102-story skyscraper being built to replace the destroyed trade center at ground zero, the official said. Up to a dozen other projects also may be involved, the official said.

The National September 11 Memorial and Museum does have one exhibit in place, the New York Times and the Gothamist say its the the 62 foot by 64 foot foundation wall, commonly known as the slurry wall. It comes from the original World Trade Center. Now, the shrine offers a big construction challenge now — securing it.

“The Port Authority and the memorial’s builders are reinforcing it with “steel caisson cores,” a “new concrete liner,” and a “pilaster wall,” an effort that will cost $11 million. The idea to showcase the wall started with World Trade Center master planner Daniel Liebeskind’s 2002 proposal.

The Times spoke to the memorial and museum’s president Joseph Daniels, who said visitors to the museum may be able to touch the wall, “We think the slurry wall could take on the resonance of the Wailing Wall. The idea of being able to get that connection, which will link you to the past, is important.”

And eight NYPD cops who died from September 11 attacks-related illnesses will be memorialized at police headquarters. The Post New York reports the police officers’ names will be put on a memorial at One Police Plaza, with a ceremony on May 7. Those honored include police officers James Godbe, Thomas Brophy, Ronald Weintraub and Angelo Peluso and Detectives James Zadroga, John Young, Kevin Hawkins and Robert Williamson.

Zadroga’s father, who waged a very public fight with the city over the classification of his son’s death, said, “We are happy about it, but it’s been a long battle.”

The field of qualified builders who will be chosen to errect an observation deck on top of the Freedom Tower will be narrowed by The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.
The PA, owner of the World Trade Center building site has created and issued a request for qualifications for the deck that will be built on the 102nd floor of the new Freedom Tower.

The Port Authority will narrow the field of possible developers, and a second request for proposals will go out in the fourth quarter of 2008 with a firm expected to be chosen in early 2009, authorities say. The observation area is expected to open in 2012, a spokeswoman for the Port Authority said.

Two World Trade Center had a 44,000-square-foot observation deck that complemented the Windows on the World restaurant. The new observation deck will be around 18,000 square feet.

The Port Authority already sent out a request for proposals for restaurants that would exist on the 100th and 101st floors of the Freedom Tower, and said it has received 11 responses. The executive director of Port Authority, Anthony Shorris, said the new tower would be “an open, lively public space integrated with the rest of the city, where residents and tourists can dine, shop, or get spectacular aerial views of Manhattan as well as neighboring states.”

The Port Authority says excavation work has been completed at the 1.4-acre Tower 4 site at the World Trade Center, according to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. This news clears the way for construction of an office tower designed by architect Fumihiko Maki. The agency also is continuing to excavate the basement area for the neighboring Tower 3 and expects to finish that job by mid-February.
The projects involve the removal of nearly 300,000 tons of concrete, soil and rock in 12 months, and the excavation of new foundations 80 feet below street level.

A Star is born. Merry Christmas to all, and to all, a good night.

Financial giant J.P. Morgan Chase isn’t just moving into Ground Zero, they plan to pay $300 million to occupy a 42 story building at Ground Zero.
The bank says it will donate $10 million to the world Trade Center Memorial Foundation and the St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church, according to AM New York. The church was destroyed when the Twin Towers collapsed, destroying the original church. The new church will rise next to the new bank.
Ground Zero landlord, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey released a rendering of the bank’s 32,000 square foot building. The building towers over the church property but and the memorial.
It is unclear how the church will be affected and architects will now craft a scale drawing of the building, the blog said.
“It actually offers some interesting opportunities for lighting and making the church an even more splendid contribution to the community,” said Port Authority Executive Director Anthony Shorris.
Officials at the church did not comment about the plan Thursday.
The building is one of five skyscrapers planned for the trade center site.

This is a tired, old story. Other builders in another city besides New York are one step closer to building the nation’s tallest building. The Chicago City Council approved plans for a 150-story lakefront tower that would be the nation’s tallest building.

The Chicago City Council has approved a zoning change, clearing the way for construction on the 2,000-foot, twisting spire in Chicago.

The completed structure would unseat the city’s 1,451-foot Sears Tower as the tallest building in the United States. The spire would also be taller than New York’s 1,776-foot Freedom Tower, currently under construction at the World Trade Center or Ground Zero.

The Chicago tower, which will be located near the intersection of the Chicago River and Lake Michigan, will feature a four-story transparent glass lobby.

Real estate big wigs in Manhattan are predicting a financial disaster on the site of the fallen Twin Towers – Freedom Tower.
That’s the opinion of a handful of Manhattan’s best-known real estate executives now that the $2.88-billion (U.S.), 2.6-million-square-foot office skyscraper has been approved to replace the World Trade Center,” says Bloomberg News Service “By the time the 90-storey landmark is scheduled to open in 2012, about 40 per cent of the space will be leased at a rate that won’t cover construction costs.
“The Freedom Tower isn’t economically feasible under the present circumstances,” said Douglas Durst, a third-generation New York developer whose company is building Bank of America Corp.’s new offices in midtown Manhattan.
Bloomberg News is owned by New York City Mayor Bloomberg.

Complaints about the design and security of the Freedom Tower have resurfaced in the wake of Gov. Eliot Spitzer’s apparent decision to back the project.
The latest rumblings come from Guy Nordenson.
Nordenson worked on the project four years ago with architect David Childs when Childs was the principal architect on the first version of the Ground Zero project. There have been numerous versions since those early years.
Nordenson says the current tower bares no resemblance to the original, a fact anyone who has been watching this project unfold is already aware of but Nordenson says the new design looks like a “gigantic glass paperweight with a toothpick stuck on top”… or he is quoting an unnamed critic of the existing design … but adds this design is going up “without any sense of orientation or any recognition of its place in the skyline. This is a shame, especially considering what the same architects showed they were capable of next door, in the elegant new 7 World Trade Center building.
“But it is understandable: not only were the architects rushed by Mr. (former Gov.) Pataki, but after the ordeal of the first design’s development and rejection, it seems natural that Mr. Childs would reach for a simple geometry the second time around. The result, unfortunately, would be second rate in Chicago, Dubai or Shanghai, and should not be the symbol of New York City, let alone freedom.”

The infrastructure of the Freedom Tower will utilize groundbreaking energy and other environmental measures, according to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
The skyscraper will feature new energy efficient technologies, ways to utilize renewable energy resources, according to former New York Gov. George Pataki. Pataki said the goal of using these technologies is to acquire certification from environmental groups. He said the Tower will use fuel cell technology to increase efficiency and provide secure clean power on-site.
“The redevelopment will be a global example of green building design 
and a constant reminder of our commitment to break the cycle of 
dependence on foreign energy,” the governor said. “By moving 
forward with state-of-the-art design and guidelines, New York will once 
again show the world our ingenuity, innovation and commitment to 
building a stronger, brighter future for all.”