Officials to unveil Ground Zero Freedom Tower

After concerns were raised about security at the soaring skyscraper proposed as the centrepiece of the former World Trade Centre site, architects went back to the drawing board.

Today, officials were to unveil a more bomb-resistant design for the 1,776ft Freedom Tower, which is to offer 2.6 million sqft of office space and is expected to become the world’s tallest building.

In an effort to make it more resistant to truck bombs, the building has been moved further from West Street, a major North-South throughway along the West side of Manhattan. The distance from the street was increased from 25ft to an average of 90ft.

The updated plans also call for reinforcing the middle of the tower and having it capped with a mast incorporating an antenna, meant to suggest the torch of the Statue of Liberty.

The redesign is meant to signal a newly-aggressive effort to rebuild the 16 acres devastated by the September 11, 2001, attack on the World Trade Centre.

“The redesign of the Freedom Tower shows how our city is able to respond to the opportunities and challenges of our time,” said Mayor Michael Bloomberg in a statement.

Gov George Pataki laid the tower’s cornerstone on July 4, 2004, but the last year has seen more fighting than progress by the agencies and individuals responsible for rebuilding. The security concerns are likely to delay the tower’s original 2009 ribbon-cutting by at least a year.