In the wake of 9/11, any new construction at the World Trade Center site had to shoulder an outsized responsibility to the city and to history itself. The 30-story hotel tower that DF&A designed in Lower Manhattan stands just steps from the Memorial Pools. And although it is not a part of Libeskind’s master plan for Ground Zero, the hotel neighbors the four massive towers that underpin the complex, including the tallest building in the Western hemisphere, the 1,776-foot Tower 1. At less than a quarter of that height, the Courtyard designed by DF&A ably takes its place as Tower 4.5.

Described by the New York Daily News as “a standout even among the starchitecture of Ground Zero,” the hotel is an inviting public space at a more human scale than its neighbors. The majority of the floors face the World Trade Center site with a faceted glass exterior that appears to float above street level. But the podium is distinct: clad in an elegant steel mesh, it beckons as a glowing veil that transforms from day to night, and provides the lower floors with shade and privacy. The gift of protected proximity continues up above: a sky bar at the top of the building gives visitors a place where they can escape from and contemplate the city overlooking Memorial Park.

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