Ground Zero

Ground Zero should, apparently, have been called The Hypocenter, since this is the proper expression for describing the impact point of a bomb that explodes above ground. Post-9/11 rescue workers referred to the collapsed World Trade Center buildings as The Pile. But Ground Zero sounds better to a nation in desperate need of reassurance, rememberance, and, perhaps, revenge. Today, it is a much more recognised term than when it was first coined, at the Trinity site where the first-ever nuclear weapon (later dropped on Nagasaki) was at point 'zero.' Google gives you close to 50,000,000 hits for the phrase. Now, here’s the point: if even the name of the site is charged with that much meaning and repressed history, how complicated will things get when three renowned architects – Richard Rogers and David Adjaye, plus Spencer de Grey from Foster and Partners – discuss ”the impact of cultural diversity on inner city regeneration” and ”the cultural imperatives for architects when developing commercial and community spaces” at Ground Zero and elsewhere? Almost as complicated as trying to follow the power game between Daniel Libeskind and David Childs about rebuilding the space, is our guess. Get a good night’s sleep before this one.

MagnusLarsson

Ground Zero