TECH

Student proposes replica of the Twin Towers in Chicago as a technology center

An aspiring architect has launched an ambitious bid to build a replica of the destroyed Twin Towers as part of a science hub in Chicago. 

British aerospace engineering student Raphael Chryslar has proposed constructing two skyscrapers as part of a district he calls the World Technology Center, which would share its initials with the original site. 

He has pitched the project as a Science, Engineering, Technology and Mathematics (STEM) hub for the Windy City.

Chryslar, who lives in England, created renderings of the center that show the two iconic towers resurrected in Chicago's South Loop, although with wider windows covered with bright blue glass.

The towers are designed to stand 110 stories tall, rising 1,500 feet into the sky. The complex would comprise eight buildings across a 35-acre site. 

'The Twin Towers are designed to the latest in modern safety standards that improve massively from the legacy,' the World Technology Center website stated.

'Our vision reincarnates that American symbol of peace and strength that was wrongfully taken from us nearly 25 years ago, and with it thousands of innocent lives.' 

The original Twin Towers were built between 1966 and 1971. They were struck by two airliners on September 11, 2001, and subsequently collapsed during the deadliest terrorist attack in US history.

Nearly 3,000 people were killed when Islamic terrorists hijacked four planes, crashing two into the Twin Towers and one into the Pentagon. The fourth plane was heroically diverted by the passengers and crashed in a Pennsylvania field. 

New York's World Trade Center has since been largely rebuilt to a dramatically different design, with One World Trade Center now standing as the 'Freedom Tower' on its own.

Many New Yorkers, including Donald Trump himself, say they miss the original Twin Towers and lament their disappearance from the New York skyline. 

According to a January 1 update on the World Technology Center's Facebook page, Chryslar visited Chicago in December to pitch his idea to local politicians. 

'We have secured direct contacts, and they have requested our team to keep in touch internally as the project evolves,' the update said.

Chryslar says the new towers are equipped with enhanced safety technology, including anti-aircraft defenses, in a bid to prevent a repeat of 9/11.

Construction on the World Technology Center is slated to begin in 2030, with a target launch date of 2050, according to its website.  

While there do not appear to be any official plans or permits for the center from Chicago officials, discussions about rebuilding the Twin Towers have persisted for decades. 

On social media, people are widely divided on the topic, with many outraged by the World Technology Center proposal in particular.

'Feel like recreating the twin towers in Chicago is both lazy and in poor taste,' one person wrote on Reddit.

'Just because a bunch of people sign a petition asking for the Twin Towers back doesn’t mean they’re coming back,' added another.

'This isn’t [video game] SimCity, you can’t just plop this in any random city just because a bunch of randos think it would be cool.'

But others were excited to see a copy of the world's most iconic skyscraper rising again on American soil.

There is some support for building the World Technology Center, and the project's website cites 9,184 individuals' statements and signatures from the Twin Towers Alliance expressing support for rebuilding the towers.

'I hope this happens. I can't think of anything more satisfying than seeing the Towers once again stand,' one person wrote on Reddit. 

'This is actually quite a robust concept, unlike a few pre-9/11 WTC rebuild ideas. I've had a look [at] the proposal's website and the plans are very well thought out,' wrote a second person.

On Facebook, one person wrote, 'Honoring the memory of 9/11, and I'm hopeful that the World Technology Center in Chicago will rise as a symbol of resilience by the next decade, paying tribute to the iconic towers that once stood tall in New York.' 

The Daily Mail has contacted the World Technology Center, the Chicago mayor's office, the Twin Towers Alliance and the 9/11 Memorial for comment.

The project's author, Raphael Chryslar, released images showing two 110-story towers, approximately 457 meters tall, similar to the originals but with adaptations such as blue glass facades and enlarged windows. The complex would occupy an area of ​​14 hectares in the South Loop neighborhood and would include a total of eight buildings.

The project rekindles memory and controversy...According to information published on the project's website, the new towers would be built with updated security technologies, including defense systems to prevent attacks similar to those that destroyed the World Trade Center in New York. Chryslar claims the proposal seeks to “reincarnate a symbol of peace and strength” lost almost 25 years ago.

The original towers, built between 1966 and 1971, were struck by hijacked planes during the 2001 attacks, which left nearly 3,000 dead. Since then, the New York complex has been rebuilt with a new design, whose main building is One World Trade Center.

Despite the publicity, there is, to date, no official authorization for construction in Chicago. In a recent social media post, Chryslar stated that he presented the proposal to local authorities, who reportedly requested monitoring of the next steps without formally supporting it.

The initiative, however, is dividing opinions. While some criticize the idea, considering it inappropriate or disrespectful, others see the proposal as a form of tribute and resilience. The project's website claims to have gathered thousands of expressions of support, although the plan still lacks institutional backing.

The project's creator predicts construction will begin in 2030, with a possible inauguration in 2050, should the project progress through the political and urban planning stages.

mundophone