Freedom Tower, Freedom from Conventional Energy

December 14, 2003 – Vol.8 No.38

FREEDOM TOWER, FREEDOM FROM CONVENTIONAL ENERGY.

The winning design for the replacement of the twin towers of the World Trade Center - brought down in the attacks of 9/11 - is also a win for the environment and energy independence. The City and the State of New York have unveiled a soaring structure that will get 20 percent of its power from the wind.

To be built near, but not directly on the sites of the collapsed skyscrapers (to protect the mass grave of 2800 who lost their lives there), the tower will include a series of wind turbines within a lattice-work truss above the main building. A spire will rise above the truss to complete the design and bring overall height to 1776 feet - the year of the signing of the Declaration of Independence..

While the occupied portion of the building will be only about 60 stories the entire tower will be the tallest occupied structure in the world.

The design will use Dermond Wind Turbine vertical axis wind turbines built by Michigan-based McKenzie Bay. Dermond is a new product designed, in part, for high-rise, roof-top installations. The tower was designed by architects David Childs and Daniel Libeskind.

Visit McKenzie Bay International at http://www.mckenziebay.com/ David Childs at Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, http://www.som.com/ .