Contemporary architecture The United States Of America

Since the dramatic attacks of 11 September 2001 and the collapse of the towers, which killed nearly 3,000 people, there has been a strange atmosphere surrounding Ground Zero. The area is still cut off by numerous barricades and police officers are on every street corner. This huge secure area has become a place of pilgrimage. The entire site will not be completed until 2020. On February 27, 2003, the think tank responsible for deciding on the reconstruction of the World Trade Center made its choice. Among six projects proposed by some of the world's leading architects, Memory Foundations, Daniel Libeskind and his team called THINK were chosen. Its aesthetics, its performance, its symbolism and, above all, its connection between memory and the future had to convince New York decision-makers. But by July 2003, the data had changed again under the leadership of Larry Silverstein, who had been the site's landlord since July 2001 (just under two months before 9/11). Libeskind's project is partially abandoned, although Libeskind continues to supervise the overall construction of the One World Trade Center. In particular, architect David Childs of the SOM agency (Skidmore, Owings, Merrill) is in charge of the design of the new skyscraper. In September 2005, other projects entrusted to other renowned architects were unveiled to the public: the World Trade Center site was to consist of seven buildings. However, in May 2009, with the help of the economic crisis, the projects are still changing and six towers will finally come out of the ground.

Ground Zero is now a highly emotional memorial site and a political symbol. But the World Trade Center site is also a strategic real estate location in the heart of the world's most important financial centre. Hence the great dilemma between the place given to memory and that reserved for office and commercial space. The reconstruction has proved to be extremely complicated and controversial, torn between the frictions of the designers, the weight of the economic crisis, the financial interests and the emotions of the city dwellers and victims. In addition to the crisis, it also took time to reach an agreement with the insurance companies.

Today, the whole world is in a hurry to admire the new towers and memorials, symbols of the city's resilience.

Built in 1982 under Michael Graves, this building is the first example of postmodern architecture in the United States. With its various materials, small windows and the predominance of stone, it differs radically from the other office buildings built at that time. In 1985, the Portlandia statue of Raymond Kaskey was added. It is the second largest U.S. copper statue (the first one being the statue of Liberty). The building now houses the city's offices. Since 2006, the building has been covered by a "green roof" which allows for the evacuation of heat and more ecological moisture.