Eight years have passed since the destruction of the World Trade Center and a void still remains where the towers once stood. Commonly referred to as “The Top of the World,” the Twin Towers had a commanding presence as a familiar American icon. For some they were a symbol of prosperity and financial strength, for others they were just a place to work or visit, but after September 11, 2001 they would forever be important to all of us. On that sunny Tuesday morning, people from around the globe watched in horror as the center of the world financial system and a signature piece of the New York City skyline crumbled before our very eyes. Until that day, no one imagined that a commercial airliner could be used to bring down a modern high rise building, especially those which had been designed to sustain an impact of this magnitude. In the aftermath of 9/11 the search for answers to the tragic collapse became an important priority. Never before had all the eyes of the world been so intensely focused on architects. They called on the brightest of the profession to provide innovative solutions which would fill the void in our hearts, our minds and our city.

While the brave heroes rushed to free the victims from the ashes and the powers that be scrambled to position themselves for one of the most significant architectural discussions in modern history, 12 undergraduate students at the Miami University Department of Architecture responded by considering a very direct design problem: create a new type of high rise that can withstand the impact of a commercial airliner and preserve human life. As one of those students, I remember how the studio conversation suddenly transformed on September 11th, from a theoretical discussion of historical precedents into an intense search for solutions to an immediate crisis.

The following article details our journey of creative discovery during the Fall of 2001 as we pursued a design solution that would respond to the collapse of the World Trade Center and restore public faith in the safety of high rise buildings. The site was lower Manhattan, the time would forever be known as “Post 9/11” and the ambitious new design proposal was aptly named The Tower of Babel.


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Monument to the Third International: Vladimir Tatlin, 1920
Scale reconstruction of the Monument to the Third International completed by the Tower of Babel design team in the Fall of 2001; Material: Maple; Scale: 1:20; Height: 5’-0”

Parti Diagram: Monument to the Third International
The design for the Tower of Babel initially focused around a collective investigation of the iconographic model of Russian Constructivism, The Monument to the Third International (Tatlin’s Tower) completed by Vladimir Tatlin in 1920. Subsidized by a $25,000 grant from the Havighurst Center for Russian Studies at Miami University, the original objective of the studio was to use Tatlin’s Tower as a precedent case study: a spatial and structural parti diagram for the design of a new type of modern high rise. The final design solution would be referred to as the Tower of Babel, referencing the form of the biblical ziggurat, drawing inspiration from the energy of the constructivist movement and synthesizing the innovation of the Russian Avante Guard with the advancements of contemporary design.

The intense political symbolism and metaphorical representation within the form of Tatlin's design presented an appropriate target for conceptual extraction. The intense political symbolism and metaphorical representation within the form of Tatlin's design presented an appropriate target for conceptual extraction. The Monument to the Third International represented his vision of a gubernatorial seat for the socialist regime which would humble foreign heads of state through its iconographic presence and remarkable ingenuity. Dismissed by Soviet leaders as a utopian impossibility, the tower was to reach a maximum height of 1300 feet, span 600 feet at the base, and straddle the River Neva in St. Petersburg. The primary structure was aligned with the earth's axis of rotation at 23.5 degrees, wrapped with two open-ended twin helixes alluding to the unfolding of the human spirit and was to contain four suspended buildings of contrasting geometries which rotated at different speeds about a common axis. The tower was braced by an inclined space truss at the rear, recalling one of the four legs of the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Each suspended interior building was to house a different function of the new communist government including one 40 story tower for the legislative body, one building for the executive elites and a communications center at the apex which would disseminate information through radio broadcasts and illuminated images projected into the night sky.

The tower has distinct anthropomorphic references with the inclined space truss acting as a spinal column, the helixes as the ribs, the interior suspended building masses as the organs and the arches representing legs striding toward the future. The overall form is likened to that of a screw or telescope twisting skyward with the twin helixes, "spirals of agreement," representing a difficult compromise that is yet to be reached. In essence, the iconic structure stands as an architectural organism that functions as a cohesive unit or miniature city.

Initially focusing on the investigation and reinterpretation of Tatlin’s revolutionary design, the Tower of Babel studio officially commenced in August of 2001. After only three weeks of analysis, the tragic events of September 11 reframed the discussion and effectively altered the trajectory of the studio. The collapse of the World Trade Center Towers identified the inability of even the most structurally advanced high rise buildings to withstand a catastrophic impact and provide adequate means of escape in the event of a widespread fire. Therefore, in order to absorb these considerations into the design objectives and effectively transform the focus of the studio, Professor Sergio Sanabria presented us with an additional challenge: Using Tatlin’s Tower as an inspirational parti diagram, design a new type of skyscraper which would withstand the impact of a commercial airliner and sustain a minimal casualty rate through provisions for a new means of circulation and emergency egress.


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Visualization of the New Tower Design

Site Selection: Upper Bay of Manhattan
When considering the appropriate location for the Tower of Babel, the studio decided that a building of this size and symbolic importance could not exist as another conventional office tower lost within the dense commercial development of New York City. It would need to be removed from the World Trade Center site and reprogrammed as a center for human engagement, thereby allowing adequate space for a proper memorial to be built within Ground Zero at the base of the fallen towers. With this in mind, the Tower of Babel was situated within the upper bay of Manhattan to establish a strong visual presence as a new icon of innovation which would rise from the ashes of Ground Zero and belong to the entire world. Promoting peace and unity, this structure was designed to serve as a new headquarters for the United Nations and stand as a climactic intermediate between the Verrazano Narrows Bridge, the Statue of Liberty and the profile of lower Manhattan.

The Tower of Babel would not belong to any one municipality but would instead be shared by the residents of New York, New Jersey, Staten Island, Brooklyn and all visitors who pass through this important gateway. Situated between Battery Park and Liberty Island at the nautical crossroads of one of the world’s largest metropolitan areas, the Tower of Babel would not belong to any one municipality but would instead be shared by the residents of New York, New Jersey, Staten Island, Brooklyn and all visitors who pass through this important gateway. The upper levels provide sweeping panoramic views of the surrounding urban context from a public promenade that runs throughout the height of the structure. The primary vertical core takes the form of an inclined spine, dynamically leaning away from the tip of Battery Park and providing a semicircular bridge linking the tower’s base, a manmade archipelago, with the existing transportation infrastructure of Manhattan. In addition, the lower levels provide docking accommodations for passenger ferries while vehicular access from New York City is accommodated through the connecting suspension bridge. Inspired by the iconography of Tatlin’s Tower, the Tower of Babel would stand alone as a symbolic tribute and a progressive solution to the tragic collapse of World Trade Center and help define the entrance into a new age of architectural innovation.


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Perspectives of the Proposed Tower in the Upper Bay of Manhattan

High Rise Design as a System of Interdependent Components
Using the Monument to the Third International as a formal parti diagram, the design team extracted the vital components and reassembled them into the scheme for the Tower of Babel, assigning new functions for each part. The structural integrity of Tatlin’s original design was derived from a 1300 foot inclined cone composed of 19 vertical supports. Within the Tower of Babel, Tatlin's central cone has been expanded with each member reprogrammed to act as both a structural pier and a means of vertical circulation. Furthermore, the outer helixes which had once existed as structural components are now combined into one spiraling walkway that encircles the perimeter of the tower and provides for a stair-less method of egress. In addition, the inclined space truss has been reconfigured to provide for an entry lobby at the base of the tower, space for distribution of mechanical systems and vertical circulation between different sections of the building. This spine also provides vital connections to the encircling helicoidal ‘boulevard’ that wraps up and around the tower, enabling visitors to appreciate views from the upper level sky lobbies. These components form an interdependent framework which directly addresses the collapse of the Twin Towers and provides a design solution that would withstand the impact of a commercial airliner and preserve human life. The following sections provide a more detailed explanation of each piece.


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MAN-MADE ARCHIPELAGO
As a sculptural icon, the Tower of Babel sits in the Upper Bay of Manhattan on a landscaped Island chain. This series of islands spirals outward from the center of the tower’s primary structural cone. The base provides for access to Battery Park via a pedestrian/vehicular bridge as well as recreational parkland and outdoor public pavilions for visitors to the United Nations Headquarters. The configuration of the archipelago provides controlled access to the internal core for boats and ferries bringing visitors from the mainland.

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PRIMARY STRUCTURAL CONE
The 1300’ inclined cone composed of vertically trussed members supports the internal helix of crescent shaped floor plates. These members provide for vertical circulation, elevators and stairs for emergency egress. The structure forms a second skin, an integrated network of vertical and horizontal members set back from the curtain wall. The conical shape was found to be the most effective in sustaining gravity loads, extreme wind shear and a potentially intense lateral impact.

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INCLINED SPINE
The 23.5 degree inclined space truss forms a rigid spine to anchor the conical structure. It provides primary access to the main levels of the tower, vertical circulation and is used for vertical distribution of mechanical systems. This inclined spine also includes a grand entry lobby at the base and provides access to the outer helix circulation system through a series of sky lobbies linking all the different programmatic components of the tower.

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HELICOIDAL FLOOR SYSTEM
The inhabitable building mass is formed by a 540 degree rotated helix composed of 110 crescent shaped floor plates which revolve around an inclined axis and reduce in size from base to apex. They are suspended within the primary structural cone, forming a helicoidal building mass. Within this configuration, the floor plates are rotated and offset, not stacked directly on top of one another thereby eliminating the possibility of pan caking if structural failure occurs at any level.

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SUSPENDED PUBLIC SPACES
Within the helicoidal building mass, large public spaces such as a library, university and museum are suspended from inside the core volume. These spaces, highlighted in red, take the pure forms of pyramids and cylinders, recalling Tatlin’s original design for rotating internal volumes. They are celebrated as important programmatic elements protruding from the dynamic form of the helicoidal building mass.

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OUTER HELIX CIRCULATION SYSTEM
The outer circulation system forms a two mile long retail spine that wraps around the primary tower. This system features a commercial concourse with shops and restaurants as well as an automated pedestrian conveyor to reduce travel time. The pedestrian concourse is designed at an ADA accessible incline providing an additional means of egress and allowing inhabitants to walk down the tower should an emergency render elevators inoperable or stairs impassable.
Internal Cone as Structural System


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Internal Cone as Structural System in Detail

The tower is 800 feet in diameter at the base and over 1300 feet tall, with a central structural cone inclined at an angle of 23.5 degrees. As shown in the schematic, the cone is formed by nineteen vertically trussed piers housing an alternative arrangement of stairs and elevators braced by several horizontal torsion rings. The internal building mass is suspended within this structural cone. In this manner the structure forms a second skin, an integrated network of vertical and horizontal members set back from the curtain wall. The conical shape was found to be the most effective in sustaining gravity loads, extreme wind shear and a potentially intense lateral impact. These inclined structural piers form a heavily fortified network and are spaced far enough apart to eliminate the possibility of total collapse if one or two of them were destroyed by an explosion or the impact of a commercial aircraft. The fire stairs are integrated into each pier and provide a minimum of 9 means of escape from any given level. At the base of the tower, the cone is interrupted by two arches flanking the inclined space truss. These grand archways provide access to the internal core for ferries and nautical traffic.

Helicoidal Floor System


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Helicoidal Floor System in Detail

As a new center for human engagement, the Tower of Babel contains over 5,000,000 sq. ft. of inhabitable space divided among commercial areas, residential units, a university with a resource library, performing arts center, hotel, and all the facilities necessary to accommodate the United Nations.

The inhabitable building mass is formed by a 540 degree rotated helix composed of 110 crescent shaped floor plates which revolve around an inclined axis and reduce in size from base to apex. They are suspended within the primary structural cone, forming a helicoidal building mass. Within this configuration, the floor plates are rotated and offset, not stacked directly on top of one another thereby eliminating the possibility of pan caking if structural failure occurs at any level. Therefore, any localized destruction of the floor system would not undermine the structural integrity of the entire building as it did at the World Trade Center.

The thin edges of the crescents twisting skyward recall the two helixes in Tatlin’s original design. Within each level, spaces along the perimeter curtain wall would have a view of New Jersey, Manhattan and Brooklyn, while the internal spaces within the cone would look into an open building core and beyond to the same landscape.

Outer Helix Circulation System


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Outer Helix Circulation System in Detail

Twisting six times around the core tower, this helicoidal boulevard forms a two mile long promenade with moving sidewalks, retail shops, restaurants, electronic kiosks and sweeping vistas that would bridge all the vertical circulation axes of the tower. In addition to establishing a strong visual presence as a main tourist attraction, it also provides for redundant, independent and handicapped accessible connections to the nineteen vertical circulation axes of the core building structure. In effect, this two mile retail complex invites the institutions of capitalism and public habitation into the upper levels of the urban high rise and shares the sweeping panoramic views of New York, New Jersey and Brooklyn with the public. This circulation system ultimately creates a continuous interior street which promotes urban diversity, a plurality of functions and a stairless means of egress from all levels of the tower. Designed in response to the slow evacuation of the World Trade Towers due to limited stairwells and inadequate egress width, this enclosed ADA compliant boulevard enables occupants to “walk down” the tower in the event of an emergency or cross into and out of the primary building mass to safely navigate around a dangerous fire.

Because of the excessive length of this exterior spiral, it became necessary to include a rapid means of transportation or automated pedestrian conveyor to make pedestrian navigation more fluid. The internal glazed tunnel houses two conveyor belts running in opposing directions. These mobile belts are broken at 40 foot intervals to allow for access to the commercial areas of the helix. Pedestrian access to the primary floors and vertical cores of the tower is provided via glazed catwalks spaced at 80 foot intervals which connect the outer boulevard with the internal levels suspended within the structural cone.

Sweeping along the perimeter of the tower from sea level to a height of 1300 feet, the form of the helix was designed as a light structural wing and treated as an aerodynamic bridge. This spiraling fin is attached to the structural piers of the internal cone with steel cables to counteract heavy wind load and the forces of uplift at high altitudes.


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Elevations

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Elevations

From Virtual Design to Physical Construction

In the age of modern technology, the Tower of Babel Studio was able to utilize digital modeling software to articulate this highly complex design and produce an accurate visual simulation. Form Z was employed as a digital platform for formal experimentation, component integration, design visualization and finally, the extraction of numerical data for the fabrication of a large scale physical model. The studio culminated in the construction of a 15’ scale model of the Tower of Babel composed of welded stainless steel trusses and a dynamic red helix of nylon fabric representing the helicoidal building mass twisting skyward.


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Construction Process

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Construction Process

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Construction Process

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Construction Process

With an estimated material cost of $15,000 and a construction timeframe of over six months, the fabrication of this interactive model offered the opportunity to validate our design theories and prove that such a structure could accomplish its intended objectives at full scale. During this phase we extracted precise measurements from the computer model of the tower to assemble the individual components. The internal cone is composed of 19 triangular stainless steel trusses which are bolted to four interior space framed torsion rings. At the base, each truss is welded to a stabilizer plate which is then anchored to a concrete footing below. The circular array of foundation piers is connected via two continuous steel rings to prevent torsion at the ground level. Representing the outer helix circulation system, the out board spiral encircles the cone and is composed of steel bars supported by individual armatures welded to each member of the internal cone. Finally, the interior array of crescent floor plates is simulated using red nylon rip stop as a sculptural accent. The fabric is stretched between two steel bars which are anchored to the tower in a spiral formation to simulate the dynamic form of the 540 rotated helix.

The large scale model became an invaluable tool to physically test the structural integrity of the overall form. During the early stages of fabrication, we consulted with an engineer to ensure that the steel tower could withstand the load of two adults. Upon completion, preliminary tests confirmed that the conical structure could support up to eight adults without failure. Therefore, when considering the original objective of extracting a unique typology from Tatlin's Tower which would also respond to the collapse of the Twin Towers, success is found in a structure able to support between 4 and 6 times the maximum design live load.


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The Completed Tower Model

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The Completed Tower Model

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The Completed Tower Model

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The Completed Tower Model

Although this project was never formally submitted to the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation as an entry into the World Trade Center Design Competition, it was recognized by others as an innovative proposal to replace the fallen towers. At the 2002 Acadia Conference, the Tower of Babel received an Honorable Mention Award for Joint Study from Auto Des Sys. As the creator of Form Z, Auto Des Sys was particularly interested in the generative process of the virtual model and its use in the fabrication of a large physical representation of the tower.

In addition, the studio gave a special presentation to various Russian scholars, detailing the collective investigation of Tatlin’s Tower and the influence of constructivist principles in the final design proposal. In addition, the studio gave a special presentation to various Russian scholars, detailing the collective investigation of Tatlin’s Tower and the influence of constructivist principles in the final design proposal. As part of the Havighurst Lecture Series at Miami University, this presentation was attended by Yegor Timurovich Gaydar, a conservative economist and former Prime Minister of Russia. The Prime Minister was particularly interested in the intersection of architecture and politics, specifically how Tatlin’s Tower, a building that was originally to serve as the gubernatorial seat for the communist regime, could be so influential in the design of a tower with such close ties to the fallen World Trade Center - an icon of capitalism. Acknowledging that the planning and construction of this project would require a significant amount of capital investment, he agreed that the Tower of Babel had a more favorable chance of being built as a symbolic icon in a free capitalist society rather than under a communist regime.

If not for the tragic events of September 11, 2001, 2993 people would still be alive, a nation would not have been devastated, the airline industry would be more financially secure and the War on Terror may never have been waged. Similarly, the innovative 9/11 Pentagon Memorial which encouraged great advancements in design and digital fabrication would not have been developed, New York City building codes would not have been revised to better promote life safety in high rise buildings and this design proposal would not exist. As an enlightened species, history will judge us by how we recover from catastrophe, rise to a challenge and push forward to learn as much from tragedy as we do from good fortune. This article is dedicated to all those who lost their lives on September 11, 2001. As designers, we honor them with every innovative contribution we make to the built environment in pursuit of a better future.


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Tower of Babel Design Studio, December 2001

Tower of Babel Studio
Miami University Department of Architecture and Interior Design

Director: Dr. Sergio Sanabria

Students:
Timothy Breihan
John Cerone
Greg Dutton
Nicholas Faehnle
Rachel Huss
Jason Ivaliotis
Malika Kirkling
Bridget Kline
Andrea Knoch
Naosuke Nemoto
Evan Williams
Jonathan Yang