Breaking news: American architect David Childs, who designed the One World Trade skyscraper in Manhattan, has passed away in Pelham, New York at age 83.
Childs was best known for his work with the American architecture studio SOM, which he joined in the early 1970s and eventually served as chairman.
His designs include the One World Trade Center in Manhattan, the tallest structure in the Western Hemisphere built on the site of the World Trade Center after 9/11.
The architect’s passing was announced by the New York Times earlier this afternoon.
Along with One World Trade Center, Childs completed numerous skyscrapers in New York over his 50-year career. Among the best known are 7 World Trade Center, Times Square Tower, Time Warner Center, and Bertelsmann Building.
Also in city, he was responsible for the arrivals building at JFK International Airport Arrivals Building and the Moynihan Train Hall.
Outside of New York, Childs led teams designing the National Geographic headquarters and the expansion of the Dulles Airport main terminal in Washington DC.
Born in 1941 in New Jersey, Childs was trained in architecture at Yale and joined SOM soon after graduating.
He was chairman of the National Capital Planning Commission, a government commission that provides plans for Washington DC, from 1975 to 1981, where he worked to reshape the architecture of the National Mall capital complex.
The New York Times called Childs the “the antithesis of a ‘starchitect'” who “candidly acknowledged his place in the architectural pantheon”.
He served on a number of boards for arts institutions, including the Museum of Modern Art, and the American Academy in Rome.
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