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The Public Architects Committee was one of five AIA knowledge
communities that joined the AIA New York Chapter in presenting the
Learning from Lower Manhattan Conference, September 17-19, 2004.
The conference brought together architects and urban designers from
around the nation to explore how New York City has been rebuilding
in the three years following the terrorist attacks of September 11,
2001.
Speakers and symposia looked beyond the immediate vicinity
of the World Trade Center site and Lower Manhattan to consider how
9/11 affected the entire region and how rebuilding will
strengthen the region. By fostering a better understanding of what
has been done right, what is missing, and what could be done better
in Lower Manhattan and the New York region, the conference
generated discussions that might help other areas achieve their
goals in regional, urban, and downtown design in the 21st
century.
This report, by Bruce T. Bockstael, FAIA, summarizes
the breakout session sponsored by the Public Architects Committee,
"Public Officials React to 9/11," and the subsequent plenary
session, "Respondents: What Have We Learned?".
Public Officials React to 9/11: Opening Discussion
Gita Dev, FAIA—Dev Architects and Advisory Group
chair, AIA Housing Committee
David Dixon, FAIA—principal-in-charge, planning and urban
design, Goody Clancy
Daniel Williams, FAIA, APA—principal, Daniel Williams
Architect
Bruce T. Bockstael, FAIA—state architect, Department of Public
Works, State of Connecticut
Most of the participants at this session were not members of the
Public Architects Committee but were interested because much
of their work involves the public sector. Bockstael opened the
discussion by reporting on the State of Connecticut’s response
to 9/11, which included use of its public spaces as staging areas
for outside vendors and for housing of military support units.
Within days, the state put together a special committee to
coordinate activities and to plan for future disasters. The
committee produced a report with the following recommendations: (1)
establish a “no-fly zone” over designated areas, (2)
create redundant information systems, and (3) establish an
emergency operations center that includes a hierarchy of command
and a central communications hub.
During the discussion, the panelists emphasized the following
points:
• Put people first. Know where they are, how to contact them,
and how to communicate with their closest relatives.
• Retain institutional knowledge. Long-time and retired
employees are critical sources of information.
• Develop backup plans for utility and communications systems.
Critical systems must be made whole. Backup systems must be
operational ASAP.
• Rehearse emergency situations; conduct evacuation as well as
fire drills.
• Establish an overall chain of command. When police, fire,
and emergency service departments are working together, it must be
clear who is charge of the overall effort.
• Establish an emergency fund. Get authority in advance to
spend money and to hire private contractors as needed.
Public Officials React to 9/11: Panel
Discussion
Michael Plottel, AIA—chair, AIA New York Public Architects
Committee (moderator)
Mysore Nagaraja, PE—president, Metropolitan Transit Authority
Capital Co.
Laura V. Osorio—borough commissioner for Manhattan, New
York City Department of Buildings
Anthony Cracchiolo—director, Priority Capital Programs, Port
Authority of New York and New Jersey
Michael Burton, PE—regional manager, URS Corporation, and
former first deputy commissioner, NYC Department of Design and
Construction
Members of the AIA New York Chapter discussed their work and
lessons learned. The discussion yielded these highlights:
• In 1993, when the World Trade Center was bombed, the
emergency response team was well coordinated. On 9/11, however, the
effort was hampered by overlapping responsibilities among the
responding organizations as well as uncertainty about overall
leadership.
• Police, fire, and emergency medical response teams
duplicated some tasks (e.g., directing evacuation) while neglecting
other tasks (e.g., providing emergency medical care).
• Due to the sophisticated alarm systems in the elevators,
abrupt lateral movement caused them to shut down immediately.
• Due to mass exiting in of two of the three stairwells (the
third was used for smoke evacuation by the fire department),
emergency services personnel were hampered in getting up the
stairs. As a result, New York City has added a building-code
requirement for wider stairwells.
• Of the occupants working below the crash level, only 200 did
not escape from the building. Few people were evacuated in the
period just before the collapse.
• The roof was not available as an escape route for two
reasons: (1) It was out of bounds due to antennas and other
electronic equipment. (2) Heat rising from the fire created wind
currents, and helicopters could not land.
• Recommendations arising from the experiences of 9/11 include
provision for (1) duplicate and ready communication devices, (2)
better sprinkler design, (3) protected building cores, and (4)
luminescent paint in stairwells.
Respondents: What Have We Learned?
J. Max Bond Jr., FAIA—Davis Brody & Bond LLP
(moderator)
Gita Dev, FAIA—Dev Architects and Advisory Group chair, AIA
Housing Committee
David Dixon, FAIA—principal-in-charge, planning and urban
design, Goody Clancy
Daniel Williams, FAIA, APA—principal, Daniel Williams
Architect
Bruce T. Bockstael, FAIA—state architect, Department of Public
Works, State of Connecticut
This session provided an opportunity for each of the interest areas
that sponsored the conference to provide feedback about the
program, exchange ideas and information, and offer suggestions that
can further inspire the renaissance of Lower Manhattan.
Participants agreed that this program was important for several
reasons: first, to bring public attention to achievements in
planning for rebuilding Lower Manhattan; second, to share lessons
learned from 9/11 with our colleagues; and, finally, to recognize
how fragile we are. No matter how much planning and preparation we
do, things can and will go wrong. How do we deal with that? As
Bockstael stated in closing, “We need to be able to mourn
the loss but to move on to creating a better future.”
Bruce T. Bockstael, FAIA, is the state architect for the
State of Connecticut and an Advisory Group member of the AIA
Public Architects Committee.
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