2 World Trade Center

Designed by BIG-Bjarke Ingels Group, the design of 2 World Trade Center is derived from its urban context at the meeting point between two very different neighborhoods: the Financial District with its modernist skyscrapers and TriBeCa with its lofts and roof gardens. The design combines the unique qualities of each, melding high-rise with low-rise and modern with historical. From the 9/11 Memorial & Museum, the building will appear as a tall and slender tower just as its three neighboring towers, while the view from TriBeCa will be a series of stepped green terraces. The building is aligned along the axis of World Trade Center Master Planner Daniel Libeskind’s ‘Wedge of Light’ plaza to preserve the views to St. Paul’s Chapel from the Memorial park.

The 81-story building will be leased by Silverstein Properties to commercial office tenants. The volumes of varying sizes and depths are to be stacked on top of each other from the largest at the base to the smallest towards the top. The stacking creates 38,000 square feet of outdoor terraces full of lush greenery and unprecedented views of the surrounding cityscape, extending life and social interaction outdoors. The modernist skyscraper and the contemporary interpretation of the pre-modern setback merge in a new hybrid and an exciting addition to the New York City skyline.

The base of the building utilizes the maximum area of the site over multiple levels. The 38,000 square feet lobby is connected to the Oculus, providing direct access to 12 subway lines and PATH trains. A public plaza at the foot of the building and access to 350,000 square feet of shopping and restaurants in the adjacent transportation hub and concourses will ensure life and activity in and around the new World Trade Center.

The new building will provide the physical environment for collaboration and idea-sharing through the internal mix of open workplaces, amenities, and informal meeting spaces. Large stairwells between the floors form cascading double-height communal spaces throughout the headquarters. These continuous spaces will enhance connectivity between different departments and amenities, which will include basketball courts, a running track, a cafeteria, and screening rooms. The amenity floors are located so they can feed directly out onto the rooftop parks.