This project proposed neither a final program for the site nor the finished form of any building scheme. Instead, it was a device for the study of indeterminate relationships. We identified 80 groups that we believed would have a hand in helping shape the new downtown and assigned a numerical and volumetric value to each group, based on our perception of their influence on the future of the WTC project. A block, built in scale to this assigned value and colored or textured based on interest group, represent each entity: frosted acrylic blocks correspond to public sector entities; clear acrylic blocks correspond to design, planning, and advocacy groups; white acrylic blocks correspond to private sector interests; and colored acrylic blocks correspond to significant emotions that we identified as catalysts of the site redesign process.

The assemblage of blocks can be arranged and rearranged endlessly--its mutability is a reflection of the constant shifting of relationships and alliances that we believed at the time would shape the site. A physical metaphor for the complex dialog required by the task of rebuilding, it illustrated the dynamics of power and influence at play in the redevelopment effort. This bracing model only reinforced our conviction that the programming and redesign of downtown Manhattan should have been an open, communal, and democratic process.

This project won an AIA NY Chapter Projects award in 2003.