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Homeless man finds SOM blueprints of WTC Freedom Tower

boxy

Two sets of confidential blueprints for the planned Freedom Tower, which is set to rise at Ground Zero, were carelessly dumped in a city garbage can on the corner of West Houston and Sullivan streets, The Post has learned.

PHOTO GALLERY: WTC Blueprints Found In Trash

Experts said the detailed, floor-by-floor schematics contain enough detail for terrorists to plot a devastating attack.

"Secure Document - Confidential," warns the title page on each of the two copies of the 150-page schematic that a homeless, recovering drug addict discovered in the public trash can.

"Any time a sensitive document is unintentionally left behind, it's a treasure trove for a potential adversary," aid Robert Strang, CEO of Investigative Management Group, a global security firm. "It enables them to look for vulnerabilities in design that they can target - an age-old military tactic."

Informed of what the homeless man, Mike Fleming, had found, shocked Port Authority officials called it an egregious security lapse.

"Violating these protocols is cause for serious disciplinary action - up to termination for employees and breach of contract and legal action for contractors," said Candace McAdams, PA director of media relations.

One of the identical sets was missing the first 14 pages, which is particularly alarming.

Besides the PA, there are 11 entities listed on each page of the blueprints, including the builder, Tishman Construction, and architects Skidmore Owings and Merrill.

Although the documents, dated Oct. 5, 2007, are not a complete set of blueprints, they do contain details such as plans for each floor, the thickness of the concrete-core wall and the location of air ducts, elevators, electrical systems and support columns.

"Certainly, if you know the thickness of concrete, someone with an explosive background can develop and plot an attack," Strang said.

That was exactly the thought that ran through Fleming's mind when he found the documents and alerted The Post.

Fleming, 28, originally from Ohio, said he was rummaging through the garbage in search of cardboard, "because the concrete is so cold to sleep on," when he noticed the documents and the warning to "properly destroy if discarded."

"They were right on top, and the garbage truck came along 10 minutes later," he said. "I was outraged, because this is priceless and it could gets into the wrong hands.

"I am an honest guy. This could have ended up on eBay or gotten to al Qaeda."

The schematics were distributed to PA officials, architects and contractors, and the state's inspector general will be investigating who improperly disposed of the sensitive materials, which the agency had no intention of making public, McAdams said.

"We don't tolerate carelessness and stupidity, which is why we have these strict protocols in place," she said.

According to McAdams, the plans are several versions old, "not very detailed" bidding documents that are given to anyone bidding on contracts.

But Steve Yang, an architect who reviewed the schematics for The Post, said that even though they do not contain every detail, it would be easy to fill in the blanks.

"An expert in explosives, demolition or biological weapons certainly could glean enough here to develop a game plan," he said. "You can see where all the concrete walls are, where the emergency stairwells are, and the electrical and HVAC systems."

The air-intake and ventilation systems in most modern office buildings would make it extremely difficult to cause widespread damage with a gas or anthrax attack, thanks to the filtration systems, a security source said.

Security sources say that such breaches tend to be inside jobs and that the garbage-can drop might have been intentional.

"The insider threat is always a corporation's biggest threat, and a terrorist adversary will try to locate disgruntled employees," a security-industry source said.

Relatives of 9/11 victims say that lapses in security over Ground Zero have ceased to be surprising.

"I'd certainly be pretty leery going to work in the building knowing that security on the plans was so lax that even a vagabond could find them," said Bill Doyle, whose son, Joseph, was killed in the Twin Towers.

"The whole thing is kind of frightening, but at the same time totally expected, because we have been failed time and again."

As shocking as such dangerous lapses in security are, experts contend that they are bound to happen again.

"Outrageous security breeches like this amplify how vulnerable New Yorkers are," said Nicholas Casale, former head of security for the MTA.

Additional reporting by Murray Weiss

 
Apr 18, 08 12:10 pm
mdler

I think that we should kill all homeless people because they are a terroist threat

Apr 18, 08 12:27 pm  · 
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mdler

there is a homeless man that sleeps on the steps of our office every night...I hope he isnt stealing blueprints

Apr 18, 08 12:31 pm  · 
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mdler

and BTW, why are they still referred to as blueprints?

Apr 18, 08 12:32 pm  · 
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won and done williams

i couldn't get over the whole "blueprint" thing either. i stopped reading after that.

Apr 18, 08 12:43 pm  · 
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el jeffe

i think the secret to the success of firms like som is that they've figured out how to draw blueprints.

Apr 18, 08 12:58 pm  · 
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mdler

that artice smells like bullshit to me, BTW

Apr 18, 08 1:03 pm  · 
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brian buchalski

since when are homeless people capable of reading drawings? i'm surruonded by a number of industry professionals (builders, interior designers, light specialists, etc) who constantly need drawings explained to them.

secondly, having yet to meet a contractor that actually builds what is in the blueprints i personally wouldn't be too worried about the leak of "detailed" information.

most likely terrorists would just fly a big airplane into the largest building they see again...or some other stunningly simple but effective plan

Apr 18, 08 1:12 pm  · 
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holz.box

yes, al qaeda is everywhere!

Apr 18, 08 1:14 pm  · 
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mdler

or our presidents cousin will plant explosives in one of our big buildings over the weekend and then demo the building after the government flies a plane into the building

Apr 18, 08 1:14 pm  · 
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These 'blueprints' are obviously a ruse, cleverly planted to throw the terrorists off.

Apr 18, 08 1:24 pm  · 
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won and done williams

so true, puddles. i love it when people talk about terrorists acquiring nuclear weapons...uh...the terrorists live in caves in the mountains of afghanistan; chances of them getting nuclear weapons are pretty much zero. they are far more likely to end the world as we know it with box cutters, tin cans, and twine.

Apr 18, 08 1:25 pm  · 
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aquapura

Where's the side story about the homeless man using the "blueprints" as toilet paper?

Apr 18, 08 1:39 pm  · 
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gonad

looks like a good time to submit a resume to som, as many people will probably be fired over this.

Apr 18, 08 1:45 pm  · 
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jhooper

this is such a non-story. If someone was that set on destroying the building, all you have to do is walk into the lobby of the building and you'd have all the information you'd need. How these buildings are put together is not a huge mystery.

Apr 18, 08 2:40 pm  · 
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spaceman spiff

careless sure, but "outrageous security breech"? please. you don't need really detailed plans to launch any sort of attack.

i suppose the site should be hidden from view on google earth too so the terrorists won't able to find it. maybe with a blue dot?

Apr 18, 08 2:50 pm  · 
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el jeffe

just think of how many terrorist attacks never left the drawing boards because they could only afford enough explosives to take down a 12" CIP wall instead of a 16" wall.

Apr 18, 08 3:39 pm  · 
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holz.box

why would som lose heads over this? unless they were found in som's building dumpster...

lots of consultants have access to plans, as well as owner, contractor...

Apr 18, 08 4:10 pm  · 
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gonad

Possibly for not disposing the confidential documents properly?

Apr 18, 08 4:52 pm  · 
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gonad

oh, i didn't realize these were found a mile away.

Apr 18, 08 4:53 pm  · 
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mdler

i think that it would have been cool if the homeless guy built a scale model of the Freedon Tower out of street detritus...that would be cool

Apr 18, 08 5:51 pm  · 
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snook_dude

I guess the homeless guy will qualify for a Presidential Security Clearance Card.

Apr 18, 08 6:16 pm  · 
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mdler

what the article neglected to mention is that the 28yr old homeless man was actually an architectural intern who couldnt make enough $$$ to afford living in New York and was therefore forced to live on the streets

Apr 18, 08 6:41 pm  · 
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bowling_ball

Since when does one need construction documents (to a building that doesn't exist) to blow shit up?

It's not as if some terrorist is going to bother engineering the most efficient attack possible. Isn't the normal formula to cause as much damage as possible?

North American journalism is utter garbage. Enjoy your freedom fries.

Apr 18, 08 9:18 pm  · 
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SDR

Flash: the news media have *always* referred to construction documents as "blueprints." Whether the public (or, for that matter, architects under the age of thirty-five) actually know what "blueprints" are, the term long ago passed into the vernacular -- and is certainly understood in a general way to refer to architectural working drawings.

In a similar vein, the phrase "artist's conception" was for decades routinely applied to architects' presentation renderings, in newspaper captions. This usage has fortunately been replaced by more accurate language, in recent years.

On a brighter note, one notices that architects are sometimes actually credited now, in those same captions. . .! Will wonders never cease ?

SDR

Apr 18, 08 10:42 pm  · 
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mdler

maybe the homeless guy was an architect of terror

Apr 19, 08 12:43 am  · 
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holz.box

sdr,

what about diazo machines? i spent hours making prints on a diazo before hitting uni.

Apr 19, 08 12:54 am  · 
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SDR

Right -- diazo (usually used for blueline or blackline prints ?) followed the earlier blueprint technology. It's still in use, though digital printing has largely supplanted it, I guess.

Apr 19, 08 1:14 am  · 
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Israel Kandarian

this is so NOT a story, especially when compared to the time i found a 2 foot stack of playboys on the sidewalk near my house when i was 14. now THAT was news worthy!

Apr 19, 08 12:44 pm  · 
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gonad

and they were all stuck together

Apr 19, 08 1:19 pm  · 
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sameolddoctor

the 28yr old was an architectural intern who was fired from SOM, became homeless and decided to get back to them by stealing the drawings and saying they were in the dumpster.

Oh wait, thats the first time i heard a 28 year youngster. Poor fellow.

Apr 19, 08 2:44 pm  · 
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the public only knows blueprints; they can't understand that technology has improved. Remember also that people still ask if you "do plans" - wtf?

Apr 19, 08 6:00 pm  · 
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He says he's honest...but he's still homeless...I would of put them up on ebay, simulataneously offering them back to SOM. Bad PR...I hope he got a warm cup of coffee for his efforts.

Apr 19, 08 6:01 pm  · 
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strlt_typ
thesis:

unmediated: blueprints as architecture

Fleming, 28, originally from Ohio, said he was rummaging through the garbage in search of cardboard, "because the concrete is so cold to sleep on," when he noticed the documents and the warning to "properly destroy if discarded."

Apr 19, 08 7:39 pm  · 
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crgixxer

I think the question we have to ask is "Whether there are more Al Queda operatives working at the city sanitation department or the recycling plant?

I would argue there are more at the recycling plant...gathering addresses, credit cards numbers, bank info, kids report cards, etc... In fact, if I were an al queda operative, I'd probably set up my own mobile document shredding company. Then I wouldn't have to rummage throught the dumpsters as much. Like taking candy from a baby.

So I feel pretty safe with the garbage can on the corner.

Apr 20, 08 1:18 pm  · 
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kosmograd

This would have never happened with Libeskind, if only because his plans would have been completely unreadable.

Apr 22, 08 9:19 am  · 
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liberty bell

I just want to say this thread really made me giggle - especially jeffe's comment about CIP. Archinect at its best, pure ridiculousness.

Apr 22, 08 3:20 pm  · 
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Renewable

If the dude only knew origami he'd no longer be homeless.
Maybe this should be a "What origami could be made from these Blueprints" thread.....

Apr 22, 08 7:26 pm  · 
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Renewable

Any Takers?
Problem: From (100) One Hundred 24x36" sheets of bond paper, construct a shelter of unlimited size. Paper may be spindled, folded, shredded, soaked, formed, crumpled, torn.....but no glue.
Nothing more than the staples, paper, and binding strip may be used.
Winner claims honorary thread which chronicles your philanthropic endeavor.....

Apr 22, 08 9:44 pm  · 
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evilplatypus

Pocz - is there a demorat somewhere willing to give a $100K endowement for this?

Apr 23, 08 9:36 am  · 
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Renewable

Apparently none willing to do it for free.....

Apr 23, 08 9:59 am  · 
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SDR

Would this qualify as "paper architecture" ?

So. . .three staples, a 4" strip of paper, and 100 sheets ? Will a drawing or model of this structure suffice, or must the entrant work at full 1:1 scale ?

Apr 23, 08 10:23 am  · 
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SDR

[I need something to take my mind off the Hillary. . .]

Apr 23, 08 10:24 am  · 
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Renewable

SDR - Materials are correct.
Scaled Drawings / Images are preferred!

Apr 23, 08 11:09 am  · 
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Renewable

[img]http://images.google.com/url?q=http://www.rexresearch.com/grebenn/230.jpg&usg=AFQjCNFZ8Ds2qpFDvKYdQUQoLzUR4sg0bA
[/img]

Apr 23, 08 11:10 am  · 
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