An ambitious architectural endeavor is underway as a budding architect sets sights on recreating the Twin Towers, now envisioned as part of a pioneering science center in Chicago.
Raphael Chryslar, a British student specializing in aerospace engineering, has unveiled plans for twin skyscrapers to anchor a new area he dubs the World Technology Center—mirroring the initials of the historic World Trade Center.
Chryslar envisions this development as a vibrant hub for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) within the heart of the Windy City.
Residing in England, Chryslar has crafted detailed visualizations depicting these iconic structures rising once more, this time in Chicago’s South Loop, adorned with expansive windows and striking blue glass facades.
The proposed towers would soar to 110 stories, reaching a height of 1,500 feet. This expansive project would also include eight additional buildings spread over 35 acres.
According to the World Technology Center’s website, “The Twin Towers are engineered to meet the most advanced modern safety standards, significantly enhancing their legacy.”
An aspiring architect has launched an ambitious bid to rebuild the Twin Towers in Chicago as part of a science center
A famous photo showing the South Tower of the World Trade Center being struck by an airliner on September 11 2001, with the North Tower already ablaze
‘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 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-rebuild 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 filled with enhanced safety techology including anti-aircraft defensive measures 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.
British aerospace engineering student Raphael Chryslar has proposed building two new Twin Towers as part of his World Technology Center
The World Technology Center is proposed as a complex that would be compromised of eight buildings across an 35 acre site
‘This isn’t 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 by seeing a copy of the world’s most iconic skyscrapers rising again on American soil.
There is some support for building the World Technology Center, and the project’s website sites 9,184 individuals’ statements and signatures from the Twin Towers Alliance express support of 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 on 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.
