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Profile of David Childs
David Childs is the architect of the Freedom Tower, the centerpiece building of the new World Trade Center complex. Scheduled for completion in 2011, the skyscraper will rise to a symbolic 1,776 feet and become the nation's tallest building. Designed to recapture the New York City skyline, the Freedom Tower will house 2.6 million square feet of office space, an observation deck, world-class restaurants, and broadcast and antennae facilities. Childs also designed 7 World Trade Center, the first building to be rebuilt near Ground Zero. Containing 1.7 million square feet of office space, the 52-story building opened in May 2006.
Childs is a partner of the internationally renowned architectural firm, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), and has designed numerous high-profile projects, including the Time Warner Center, the redeveloped Penn Station and the Bertelsmann Building in Times Square. On September 11, 2001, Childs witnessed the attacks from his office, just a few blocks from the World Trade Center. He said rebuilding Lower Manhattan has been a priority for him and his colleagues since the day of the attacks.
Immediately after [September 11, 2001], there was a very strong feeling that the entire site should be a memorial, that there should be no building there at all, which I didn't agree with right from the beginning...I think it's a natural human reaction to re-create something and not let the holes in the city exist.
David Childs
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