Tall & Urban News

CTBUH remembers David Childs, the distinguished American architect whose bold vision helped reshape the skyline of New York and cities around the world, and who passed away at the end of March 2025 at the age of 83. A longtime design partner at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), Childs was best known for his work in the rebuilding after September 11, yet his career spanned multiple structures that expressed both architectural ambition and civic responsibility.

Best known for his work on One World Trade Center, currently the tallest building in North America, it is a soaring symbol of resilience and renewal in Lower Manhattan. Rising from the site of profound national loss, the 1,776-foot high-rise is a technical and symbolic tour de force, blending advanced safety standards with a powerful expression of unity. Opened in 2014, the steel and glass structure that rises into the sky with a tapered, eight-triangle body, topped by a 408-foot-tall (124-meter-tall) needle, to reach the symbolic height of 1,776, as outlined in the master plan by architect Daniel Libeskind. In testimony to CTBUH regarding the design, Childs spoke with the CTBUH Height and Data Committee in Chicago before the building's completion to make the case that this extension was an intentional architectural expression and believed part of the building's official height, making the case not just for One World Trade but other tall buildings that may be considered for this reason. The guidelines established by the Council for determining building height reflect this conversation and the debates surrounding measuring buildings and defining the tallest buildings around the world.   

Trained in both architecture and urban planning, Childs joined SOM in 1971 in Washington, D.C. and quickly became a leading force in the firm’s global expansion. His early work included collaborations on the National Geographic Society Headquarters in Washington, D.C., and the master planning of key government sites, but it was in the realm of high-rise design that his talents fully matured. He transferred to the firm’s New York City office in 1984, and approached each project with a planner’s eye and an architect’s hand, integrating structures into their urban context with thoughtfulness and precision.

Childs’s portfolio includes an array of celebrated skyscrapers: the Time Warner Center (now Deutsche Bank Center), a pair of sleek glass towers anchoring Columbus Circle; 7 World Trade Center, the first building completed on the Ground Zero site; and major commercial buildings in Beijing, London, and Dubai. His work combined restrained modernism with monumental presence, always mindful of public experience at ground level.

Beyond design, Childs played an influential role in shaping architectural discourse. He served as chairman of the Commission of Fine Arts, advised on numerous civic projects, and mentored generations of younger architects. His legacy endures not only in his projects but in the discipline of architecture itself and its relationship with contemporary urban life.

The Childs family has planned a small, private memorial in April, followed by a larger service in May, to be announced.