Construction begins on 2 World Trade Center supertall in Manhattan by Foster + Partners

Construction has resumed on 2 World Trade Center, a 55-story supertall in Manhattan designed by Foster + Partners. The firm’s design, which we reported on in 2022, came after a concept by BIG was abandoned. BIG itself replaced an initial concept for the site by Foster + Partners in 2015.

Construction on the site was given a renewed push in February when American Express announced it would serve as the anchor tenant for the tower. Before that, the site had sat dormant since 2011. 

The latest design is defined by metallic fin-split elevations with a series of stepped terraces leading up to a four-parapet roof-garden crown. The scheme, measuring 1,225 feet in height, is expected to contain 2 million square feet of rentable office space. 

The final piece of the renewed 16-acre World Trade Center site, the scheme will sit in proximity to the Oculus and 9/11 Memorial site and quartet of other office towers designed Da...