General Update and Our Next Steps

Computer rendering of the World Technology Center Towers at dawn from South Wacker Drive (across the Old Post Office Building facing south)

It has been just over a month since our last newsletter update, and work has continued across the World Technology Center initiative. As we enter the latter stages of Phase 2—conceptual design and stakeholder outreach—we are developing the project’s institutional foundations, opening new conversations with the scientific community, and preparing to share our progress with a wider audience.

We are pleased to welcome Hayden Zhang as our Coordinator for Technology and Stakeholder Outreach. A former NASA intern, a current student at Washington University in St. Louis, and co-founder of the startup Orbis Infrastructure, Hayden brings experience and interests that closely align with our mission. His role will help us build relationships with prospective collaborators and explore how the World Technology Center could serve the needs of research, education and industry.

Alongside this growing outreach effort, we have begun drafting bylaws and other governance documents for the proposed World Technology Center Foundation. This work will help prepare for its future establishment as a nonprofit organization and an eventual application for 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status in the United States. These are preparatory steps, with an emphasis on defining clear responsibilities, accountable leadership and a durable framework for advancing our mission.

In parallel, we have begun engaging with universities and scientific institutions. These early conversations are an opportunity to listen: to understand the challenges institutions face, identify areas of shared interest, and explore where our proposed facilities and programmes could provide meaningful value. As the concept develops, this exchange will help connect our architectural ambitions with the practical needs of the people and organizations the proposal aims to serve.

Next month, our founder and chief designer, Raphael J. Chryslar, will return to Chicago for an in-person, one-to-one interview with Fox News, providing a televised update on the project. The discussion will focus on the proposal’s value and rationale, drawing on our published contextual report and the work undertaken since its release. It will be an opportunity to explain both the vision and the research, educational and public purposes behind it.

We have also published a new short educational film, “What is Technology? Our Mission for America’s new Twin Towers.” 

The word "Technology" is commonly perceived in mainstream as just smartphones, artificial intelligence, internet and social media corporations colloquially called "Big Tech" and the data centers that fulfull them.

The real definition is far broader and deeply fundamental: the application of scientific knowledge to solve practical problems.

Narrated by our founder Raphael Chryslar team members Taffazal Subhani and Haru Morioka, this short educational film explores the dictionary definition of the word; covering historical, present, tangible and intangible examples of its interrelation with life, society and the environment. It is why our project carries the name "World Technology Center". It addresses the fundamental challenges and bottlenecks within the wider STEM landscape: the relationship between innovation and regulation (i.e. the pacing problem), public understanding and participation, and the difficulties academic breakthroughs can face on their journey into practical industrial use. These questions sit at the heart of our mission. We want to explore how the WTC could help strengthen connections between disciplines, institutions, industry and the public.

Finally, we would like to share an update on our forthcoming documentary. Although we had hoped to release it within the next few weeks, publication is now likely to move to the first quarter of 2027. Prouduction of our media materials is done entirely by our human team. Cross-checking, editorial review, graphics/renderings and hands-on editing are taking additional time, alongside our work to complete the project’s press kit before the end of December. We want the finished documentary to present our research and intentions accurately, clearly and with the care the subject deserves.

Thank you to everyone who continues to follow, question and contribute to our vision. Your interest helps sustain this work as we develop the designs, relationships and organisational foundations needed to move the initiative forward. We look forward to sharing further progress from Chicago this December.