Two plans shortlisted to replace World Trade Center

Two plans to replace the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York, destroyed by the terrorist attacks of September 11, have been revealed today (Wednesday).

The successful finalists are Libeskind, which designed Berlin's Jewish Museum, and the Think team, led by New York-based architects Rafael Vinoly and Frederic Schwartz.

Libeskind's proposal features a 541m-high spire overlooking several smaller steel towers, while the Think team's plan features two decorative steel towers, reaching 507.5m.

A winner is expected to be announced by the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey some time this month.

Both projects would take ten years to complete.

Nine proposals for redeveloping the former 6.4ha Manhattan site were unveiled last December, after previous proposals were rejected as being "unimaginative".

However some locals are opposed to the idea and have called for the site to be kept as a mass grave rather than a development area.

Both models include an area where a commemorative memorial could be built.