''Rebuilding Ground Zero is Rebuilding the Heart of New York''

Daniel Libeskind is a leading international figure in the world of architecture. He's designed the Jewish Museum in Berlin, and the Imperial War Museum North in Manchester among other landmarks. In 2003, Libeskind received one of the most prestigious commissions worldwide -- to create the master plan for the reconstruction of the World Trade Center in New York.

DW-WORLD.DE: Ground Zero is one of the biggest architectural projects of our times. The expectations for the design were very high. Did that put additional pressure on you or was it a source of inspiration?

It's both. It is one of the most well-known projects in the history of architecture -- everybody knows it and has an opinion about it. There are truly deep emotions surrounding the significance of rebuilding Ground Zero and the pressure is unbelievably high. At the same time, it is inspiring -- rebuilding Ground Zero does not just mean rebuilding a few buildings but it's actually rebuilding the heart of New York. And it's being built in memory of a tragedy that hit New York and the whole world. To harmonize the tragedy and spirituality of this place to create a lively, beautiful city that reacts to the attacks in a creative and cultural way and that draws people back to Lower Manhattan -- all that was an inspiration and certainly a tremendous challenge.

You're the architect of the Jewish Museum in Berlin and you also submitted a concept for the Holocaust Memorial. Now you're the main planner for Ground Zero. What fascinates you about memory?

Memory is probably the deepest dimension of the human soul. If we had no memory, we would not know where we are coming from and where we are going. Memory is important in every architectural project because it evokes traditions and something from the past that has to be carried forward into the future. Both at the Jewish Museum and now with Ground Zero, memory plays a huge role. The memory of September 11 attacks changed the world. We're living in a different world ever since. That's why Ground Zero has to reflect an event that needs to be remembered -- so that the world in future can have a wider horizon.

Do you think 9/11 has fundamentally changed architecture too?

I definitely think so. It was a moment in which people around the world saw both the vulnerability of the world but also the potential hope it offers. They saw what can happen to a city through fundamentalism and terrorism. But they also saw how a city with all its democratic values could pull itself up again and how it can once again assert its freedom in the face of such attacks. It definitely fascinated the public. Never before has the wider public been so interested in what is going to be built and how it will look. For the first time, the public say the city is not for the planners and politicians or for abstract people, but for us -- the people that live there. I think Ground Zero and its reconstruction have a huge influence on how people react to their environment differently -- everywhere in the world, not just in New York.

How have the families of the victims reacted to your building plans?

I have worked very closely with the family members. There's something very unusual at the heart of my proposal --out of the 15-acre site, more than five acres is set aside for a memorial. I decided from the very beginning not to build anything on this space because it's not "business as usual." I wanted to build a memorial to create a calm space. The memorial lies at the heart of the whole place and around it will be the buildings where the activities and optimism of future takes place.

It's five years since the Sept. 11 attacks -- is it time to look back or look forward?

You can't look ahead if you don't look back and keep memory alive. The heart of Lower Manhattan was destroyed and there's a huge wound in the middle of New York. My plan is to bring life back, to secure the triumph of life at this place. Keeping in mind the tragedy of thousands who died, I want to at the same time reassert the resistance, beauty and vibrancy of New York. And I want to build a new center that's a memorial as well as a transport hub, a place for new cultural activities where new work places are created. That doesn't mean it has to be like it was in the past, but rather with a new idea of light and openness. It should be beautiful and memorable.

You allude to America's Independence Day with the height of the main building. Why is that so important to you?

I wanted to show that this is not just about a building that's standing around there, but one with a symbolic dimension. I thought that the number 1776 would represent not only the height of the building but also the Declaration of Independence so that when people look into the sky, they should not just think of a tall building which they can see anywhere but this specific date in American history which brought democracy to the world. It is symbolic of a document that spoke of the equality of rights of all people and that is something that will never be surpassed by any building. Instead, it is an emblem, the heights of freedom symbolic of the towers, that will always be a symbol for New York.

Did you have to take into account the security aspects, which didn't play a role before Sept. 11?

Yes. Security is one of the biggest issues in rebuilding Ground Zero. After the attacks, we have to think anew about how buildings are constructed. It's one of the most important questions because we know how significant it's going to be in future too. It's necessary to have the newest technology to make buildings safe. At the same time we have to think about the fact that we're building in a open, democratic city. We aren't building a fortress.

Your original plan for the rebuilding of Ground Zero was changed considerably. What do you think about it?

My main concept -- leaving aside the fact that I'm not the architect of the building -- has remained relatively intact. It's definitely been taken further, but it's what New York chose and has remained true to it. It's true that many different people are working at the place. They include good architects like Frank Gehry, Lord Foster and Rogers. There's agreement in idea and spirit when it comes to the design that I suggested.

How did 9/11 change the mood among intellectuals in New York?

It has unfortunately brought the tensions of the world directly into our midst. It is no longer something abstract. We understand much more what globalization means and, of course, how to respond to these attacks. Politicians and the military may respond in one way but architecture responds in other creative ways -- through building and rebuilding, by making something positive out of it.

How did you receive the news of the attacks when they happened?

On September 11, 2001, the Jewish Museum in Berlin opened to the public. I went back to my office on that day and I said to myself that this was the first time that I don't have to think about the Jewish Museum now that it is open to the public.

Then the attacks happened and a new darkness swirled around me as I saw those images on the screen that afternoon in Berlin. As I saw them, I turned to my wife and said that I was going back to Lower Manhattan. How strange that I wound up here looking at Ground Zero then and now have the responsibility for rebuilding it.