British graffiti artist Banksy, currently working in New York, has condemned the design of the new World Trade Centre as “a disaster”.

The 104-storey skyscraper “clearly proclaims the terrorists won”, he says in an essay posted on his website. It includes a picture of the tower with the words “replace with better artwork”.

The essay is designed to resemble a New York Times op-ed column. The artist said he submitted it to the newspaper, which declined to publish it.

“We couldn’t agree on either the piece or the art so it was rejected,” a New York Times spokes-woman said.

The 104-storey skyscraper clearly proclaims the ­terrorists won

Banksy has been visiting the city for the past few weeks. He announced earlier that he was undertaking “residency” there and has posted pictures on his website of his paintings on city buildings without providing exact locations. But those who spotted the graffiti spread the word through social media.

Banksy writes that the tower lacks “any self-confidence”. He likened it to a “tall kid at a party, awkwardly shifting his shoulders trying not to stand out from the crowd”.

He suggests that “a better building” be constructed immediately in front of the nearly complete skyscraper.

He ends by saying: “You currently have under construction a 100-foot-tall sign that reads – New York – we lost our nerve.”