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Originally Posted by De Minimis NY
I completely agree with that statement as well. It's ridiculous how tasteless certain lighting schemes have become. Lights should be used to highlight the architecture and AT MOST to provide some subtle coloring to complement what's already there. This picture of Woolworth is exactly what I'm talking about : soft white lights to draw attention to the detailing at night with just a touch of green at the bottom of the lighting scheme to reflect the green crown of the building.
Everything about that scheme conveys sophistication, while everything about the WTC 1 base scheme conveys gimmickry (I am aware that even Woolworth has had its share of bad lighting in the past, by the way). Obviously the lighting scheme for WTC 1 shouldn't be the same as that for Woolworth, as WTC 1 is more of a statement of power than of elegance, but the current approach to the base doesn't reflect power either. It's just lazy and cheapens the whole thing.
I also agree that Bank of America, 4 Times Square, and even Empire State can overdo it at times. It's just too much color. The best-lit building in the city for the past 80 years has been Chrysler and it still doesn't use ridiculous colors like that at all. I want more gotham and less candyland. |
I see where you are going with the lighting matter, but this isn't a gothic style building...It is a modern skyscraper. Not much you can do with architectural lighting on One WTC. Yes, it is unfortunate that the building does not have the beveled base or the originally planned spire, as they would have provided more interesting ways to light this building, but it doesn't have those features.
I personally would like to see the multicolored lights as seen in 599GTO's picture, as it would give the ground level a more modern (and somewhat-futuristic), sleek-looking lighting display. I believe that it would work nicely as a backdrop to the area, and would complement the commercial and tourist scene that will become of the World Trade Center site.
Plus, what if all the other WTC buildings had base displays like this that all followed the same lighting design? It would add a little bit of unification for the site, and would definitely boost the effect that it had on visitors in the area.
Of course, however, this all is just in my opinion.
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) and that touch of kitsch at the base isn't as out of place as it would be gracing serious structures such as the Woolworth, Chrysler or the Bibliothèque-Musée de l'Opéra National de Paris. 
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