Spire, wind power set for WTC tower

Development officials said recently that the design of the "Freedom Tower," symbolizing the date of U.S. independence at 1,776 feet tall, would be unveiled Friday, another milestone in the dispute-ridden project.

Renowned architects Daniel Libeskind and David Childs collaborated on the design of the tower, part of one of the most ambitious projects in U.S. architectural history to rebuild the site destroyed in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks against America.

"As Libeskind proposed, it will soar 1,776 feet in the sky, culminating in a spire that evokes another great symbol of our nation's commitment to freedom, the Statue of Liberty," the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation said. "And as Childs proposed, it will incorporate innovative cable technology, adhere to the highest standards of safety and security and generate much of its own electricity."

At 1,776 feet, the skyscraper will top Malaysia's twin, 88-storey Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur at 452 metres (1,483 feet) and the 110-storey Sears Tower in Chicago at 442 metres (1,450 feet). It will still be shorter than Toronto's CN Tower, the world's tallest free-standing structure, which rises 553.33 metres, or 1,815 feet, 5 inches.

Reconstruction of the 6.5-hectare site is expected to cost between $4 billion and $7 billion (U.S.) by the 2015 target date set for its completion by New York Governor George Pataki, who has final authority over the site.

At the centre is a memorial to the 2,752 victims. Its design is to be announced by year's end.