March 10, 2004

A team of activists and designers called “Team Twin Towers” recently unveiled a design for the World Trade Center that is an almost exact replica of the original Twin Towers.

The team, led by tv/film producer Randy Warner, with a design by engineer Ken Gardner and architect Herbert Belton, is lobbying aggressively for its design, called the “Plan of the People.” The idea consists of two towers whose sleek, rectangular designs are purposeful reminders of the originals. In fact one of the designers, Belton, worked on the Twin Towers' original construction drawings for New York firm Emory Roth and Sons. The towers will be two stories taller than the Twin Towers, and the north tower is designed with a 500-foot-high mast to make it the tallest building in the world.

While similar in form to the Twin Towers, the new design, the team says, is built to be much safer. It has a steel skin built in two layers – a tube within a tube- that has much heavier columns and much greater, and redundant, structural support. The design also calls for larger windows for comfort and much improved fireproofing over the original. Other elements include two five-story memorials made of the original steel skin (with replicated steel), access to bedrock, and a list of victims’ names etched in granite.

The tower design, the team says, is a much more effective symbol of fortitude and hope than anything in the works right now.

“It stands for resolve, it stands for strength, it stands for renewal,” says Gardner. “To see the towers return would have an inspirational impact on the population. It's a living memorial, and I think it's more powerful than pretending 9/11 never happened.”

Does the team think their plan will actually take shape? “I think it’s pretty good chance. We know that in all polls the majority of people favor this,” says Gardner, who points to teams of people working on financing, engineering, and publicity for the project. Gardner adds that if Larry Silverstein loses his insurance case in court he will not have enough money to carry off his plans, making his team’s plan more realistic.

“This will be easier to do because you’ll have more people willing to contribute,” Gardner adds. The team is now shopping a presentation of their plan to corporations for possible funding. For more information visit www.teamtwintowers.org.

Sam Lubell