In New York, projects for three more skyscrapers presented

New York - Shortly before the fifth anniversary of the destruction of the World Trade Center (WTC) in New York during the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, projects for three more skyscrapers to be built on the site of the destroyed WTC "twin towers" were presented today in the largest American city.
    The 541-meter-high Freedom Tower project had already been approved, which will become the new landmark of Manhattan. The three other skyscrapers will be shorter, will stand nearby, and will encircle the memorial to the victims of the attacks in a semicircle.
    The authors of the designs, whose construction will begin next year and is expected to be completed in 2012, are renowned architects Norman Foster, Richard Rogers, and Fumihiko Maki. Foster's building will have 78 floors, and at its top will be four large spotlights shaped like diamonds that will illuminate lower Manhattan at night.
    The other two skyscrapers will be 61 and 71 floors tall, respectively. All three buildings together will provide 560,000 square meters of commercial space. The destruction of the WTC resulted in the loss of 930,000 square meters of office space.