The new 1 World Trade Center, formerly known as the Freedom Tower, will serve as the main building of the planned World Trade Center complex that is currently under construction. A
museum & memorial are also planned for the 16-acre site; however it is the monolithic glass tower that will serve as a telling visual reminder of the Twin Towers once impressive stature.
The tower under construction—you can track the progress
here—rose to a symbolic milestone of 100 feet in February 2009. It will possess a more traditional structure in order to complement the existing New York skyline. It will consist of a simple symmetrical design and it will have one central spire. Additionally the tower will rise from a cubic base that whose width is almost the same as the Twin Towers at 200 by 200 feet. The base is adorned with over 2,000 pieces of prismatic glass that are each 4 feet by 13 feet, 4 inches long. The tower itself will rise from the base and be composed of eight isosceles triangle walls, which will form a perfect octagon and then culminate in a glass parapet at the top. The structure’s planned exterior is thought to recall themes of fluidity, light and motion and is expected to be 1,776 feet tall; a number that is symbolic of the year the Declaration of Independence was signed.
The building is set to include 2.6 million square feet of office space, as well as an observation deck, restaurants, parking and broadcast and antennae facilities.
While construction of the Freedom Tower began in 2006, competition is not anticipated until 2013. However, in September 2008, Mayor Michael Bloomberg called for the dismantling of the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation, the agency overseeing the redevelopment of the World Trade Center site. He has repeatedly insisted that the tower and memorial site be completed by the tenth anniversary of the attacks. There have been a number of delays along the way due to budgetary concerns and bureaucratic issues, most notably the Metropolitan Transit Authority’s impending plans for to build a complex transit hub by the memorial.
In addition to the Freedom Tower, the entire 16 acre World Trade Center complex is set to include 5 other buildings. The only one currently completed is
7 World Trade Center. Opened in 2006, the 52 story building is touted as the safest skyscraper in the world. Click
here to read more about the plans and current state of Ground Zero.
