NEW YORK (AP) -- One feature of architect Daniel Libeskind's winning design for the World Trade Center site is that sunlight will flood the plaza every Sept. 11 morning to commemorate those who died.

But another architect - a critic of the rebuilding process who has circulated his own design - is questioning Libeskind's plan for a so-called Wedge of Light, saying his math shows sunlight will be sparse.

In presenting his plan to the public in December, Libeskind promised that every Sept. 11 "between the hours of 8:46 a.m., when the first airplane hit, and 10:28 a.m., when the second tower collapsed, the sun will shine without shadow."

Yet rival architect Attia contends that the Millennium Hilton Hotel - which he designed - will cast a shadow over the plaza where the sun is supposed to shine.

"By 10:28 every Sept. 11, the so-called Wedge of Light will in fact be a Wedge of Darkness and Shame, covered by about 99 percent shadow," Eli Attia said in a report released this week and posted on his Web site.

In an interview Thursday, Libeskind said that even with the shadows of existing buildings, visitors to the site would experience the Wedge of Light effect.

"At 8:46 they'll see the buildings suddenly illuminated with light, casting no shadow, and at 10:28 they'll see a bright line of light," he said.

Attia disagreed.

"Light is light and shadow is shadow," he said. "He promised the world that within that time it will be flooded with light, and this is simply a lie."

Attia, who advocates a different plan as head of the Phoenix Project, contends that the process by which Libeskind was chosen was flawed and that the plan itself is "an absolute embarrassment on every level."

But Libeskind, whose plan includes a 1,776-foot tower and the preservation of part of the original trade center's foundation walls, has supporters in the architectural community.

"I fundamentally think the Libeskind plan is, if not perfect, very close, because of how it engages the historical imperatives of what happened on the site in a way that isn't simplistic," said Ric Bell, executive director of the New York chapter of the American Institute of Architects.

Beverly Willis, founder of a community group called Rebuild Downtown Our Town and president of the Architecture Research Institute, said Attia appears to be motivated by "sour grapes."

"Obviously Attia feels that he can do a better design job than Libeskind, and I would think 50 percent of the architects in New York think they can do a better job," Willis said. "But Libeskind was selected in a fair competition."

Matthew Higgins, a spokesman for the Lower Manhattan Development Corp., which together with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey hired Libeskind, said that "Daniel has produced a compelling vision for the site. ... It's a complex and nuanced vision that requires a lot of explanation to fully appreciate."

---Published 20030503

http://web.archive.org/web/20030503031355/customwire.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/ATTACKS_REDEVELOPMENT?SITE=FLPET&SECTION=HOME

On the Net:

Lower Manhattan Development Corp: http://www.renewnyc.org

Phoenix Project: http://www.phoenixproject.info/design/