One World Trade Center, Supertall skyscraper in Lower Manhattan, United States
One World Trade Center is an office tower in the Financial District of the United States that stands 1,776 feet (541 meters) tall and features a prismatic glass facade reflecting light across the skyline. The architecture by David Childs combines a square base with a form that tapers upward into an octagon, with a reinforced concrete podium reaching to the 20th floor and steel and glass construction above.
Following the September 11, 2001 attacks, planning began for a new structure at Ground Zero under architect David Childs of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, with the cornerstone laid in 2006 after years of debate over design and security. Construction spanned eight years with the steel framework completed in 2012, before the building opened in November 2014 for its first tenants and the observatory began operations in May 2015.
The tower functions both as a memorial site and an active workplace, with visitors from around the world coming to the observation deck to reflect and take in the cityscape. Many people connect their visit to personal memory or recognition, as the structure represents the rebuilding effort after the September 2001 attacks and plays a central role in the daily life of New Yorkers.
Access to the One World Observatory on floors 100 through 102 is via high-speed elevators that travel from ground level to the top in 47 seconds, with tickets best purchased online in advance, especially during summer months and holidays. The clearest views happen in early morning or at sunset, and the entrance is located at West Street with subway access via lines E, 2, 3, 4, and 5, as well as accessible facilities and audio guides in multiple languages.
The elevators to the observatory use LED walls that display a virtual time travel through 500 years of New York history during the ascent, making you feel as if you are gliding through clouds and sky. The foundation extends 70 feet (21 meters) below ground and weighs more than 45,000 tons (41,000 metric tons), ensuring anchoring in bedrock and providing extreme stability.
Location: Manhattan
Inception: November 3, 2014
Architects: David Childs, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, Daniel Libeskind
Official opening: November 3, 2014
Architectural style: postmodern architecture
Elevators: 73
Height: 386.5 m
Made from material: bulletproof glass, reinforced concrete, steel, aluminium
Part of: World Trade Center
Address: 285 Fulton Street, Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
Website: https://onewtc.com
GPS coordinates: 40.71300,-74.01350
Latest update: December 2, 2025 20:37
20th and 21st-century architecture has transformed city centers with structures that push engineering boundaries. Observation towers like the Seattle Space Needle and experimental residential complexes like Habitat 67 in Montreal demonstrate the evolution of construction techniques. Architects have explored new forms using materials such as steel, glass, and concrete, creating structures that meet the growing demands of metropolitan areas. This collection includes buildings that marked their time with innovative design. In Barcelona, Antoni Gaudí's Casa Milà features a wavy facade that breaks traditional norms, while in London, 30 St Mary Axe incorporates energy-saving technologies into its 180-meter structure. From Bilbao's Guggenheim Museum clad in titanium to artificial islands shaped in the Persian Gulf in Dubai, these projects illustrate the diversity of architectural approaches worldwide. Each building reflects its urban context while offering solutions to technical and functional challenges of its era.
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This collection brings together some of the most technically ambitious structures ever built, from record-breaking skyscrapers and suspension bridges to high-speed roller coasters that push the boundaries of what steel and concrete can achieve. These sites span continents and represent decades of engineering progress, offering visitors a chance to experience human innovation at heights and speeds that were once impossible. Whether you're standing on the observation deck of the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, walking across the glass floor panels of the CN Tower in Toronto, or racing through the launch sequence of Kingda Ka in New Jersey, each structure tells a story of technical ambition and problem-solving. The collection includes landmarks like the 324-meter Eiffel Tower in Paris, completed for the 1889 World Exhibition, and modern marvels such as Tokyo Skytree, which rises 634 meters above the city. You'll find the Millau Viaduct spanning the Tarn River valley in France at a height of 336 meters (1,100 feet), the tilted medieval bell tower in Pisa leaning at a 3.97-degree angle, and Russia's SkyBridge suspended between mountain peaks at 2,320 meters (7,600 feet) elevation. These places attract millions of visitors each year, offering not just views and thrills but a firsthand understanding of what modern engineering can accomplish when designers set out to build something exceptional.
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