Ground Zero plan may reach for the sky

The structure which will replace New York’s twin towers could stand more than 2,000ft high, dwarfing the world’s tallest buildings, it was reported today.

Broadcasters want the so-called Freedom Tower to be taller than the planed 1,776ft so they can mount a far-reaching antennae on top.

The original twin towers, which were destroyed in the September 11 terror attacks in 2001, were about 1,360ft tall.

Currently, the world’s tallest structures are the Petronas towers in Malaysia, which stand at 1,483ft.

Architect Daniel Libeskind is working on a design for a new building to rise out of ground zero in Lower Manhattan.

After a meeting Mr Libeskind yesterday, Roland Betts, a director with the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation (LMDC), told the New York Post: “The reception is better at 2,000ft.”

Sources at the LMDC, which was set up to oversee the redevelopment of the shattered area, said Libeskind’s latest drawings show the building rising to at least 2,000ft, and possibly as high as 2,100ft.

Such a large structure would be likely to remain the world’s tallest building for many years.

The current price tag on the project is $10.3bn (€8.8bn) and it is hoped it will be completed by the end of the decade.

Last month it was revealed that the subterranean “footprints” where the twin towers once stood will be left untouched by developers in memory of more than 2,800 people killed there.

The final building plan should be ready by the spring.

So far the proposals need an estimated $6.7bn (€5.6bn) to construct new office space, a hotel, a railway station and a memorial to those killed.

A key feature will be a 74,000 sq ft green memorial park.

The rest of the money will be spent on insurance costs and architect fees.

Money for the redevelopment is expected to come from the US government, insurance companies and private funding.