One World Trade Center

One World Trade Center, North tower of the former New York World Trade Center, destroyed in 2001

Description: The One World Trade Center, colloquially known as the Freedom Tower, is the main building of the New World Trade Center complex in New York. The building stands at a height of 1776 feet, equivalent to 541 meters and 33 centimeters, and consists of 104 floors, 75 of which are usable. The number 1776 was chosen deliberately, representing the year of the United States' Declaration of Independence. The tower is located in the northwest corner of the site, covering a total area of 325,279 square meters. The construction of the skyscraper officially began on April 27, 2006, with the laying of the first stone, and concluded on June 30, 2013, with the placement of the 100-meter-high antenna. Surrounding the Freedom Tower are other buildings, one of which is residential. Not far away is also the National September 11 Memorial & Museum, a collection of images, memorabilia, and historical artifacts regarding the September 11, 2001 attacks. The North Tower was one of the two so-called "Twin Towers" of the complex that made up the New York World Trade Center, built in Lower Manhattan from the mid-1960s, based on the design of Japanese-American architect Minoru Yamasaki. Also known as WTC 1 or One WTC, it was a 110-story skyscraper standing 417 meters tall, distinguishable from the South Tower only by a massive 110-meter-long antenna that topped it. Built between 1966 and 1970 and inaugurated in 1973, it was destroyed during the September 11, 2001 attacks by American Airlines Flight 11. In August 1974, French tightrope walker Philippe Petit reached the top of the tower, then performed a dangerous walk towards the other tower on a wire, repeating the feat eight times. Two climbers performed reaching the top in 1981 and 1983. The north tower was the first building to be hit during the September 11, 2001 attacks. After the destruction of buildings 1, 2, 3, and 7 on September 11, 2001, there was extensive debate about the future of the World Trade Center site. Proposals came almost immediately, and in 2003, the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation organized a competition to determine how to use the site. Public rejection of the first project led to a second competition, where Daniel Libeskind's project was chosen. This project underwent many revisions, mainly due to disagreements with developer Larry Silverstein. Criticism was mainly directed at the limited number of floors for offices and other services. Only 82 floors would have been habitable, and the office space of the entire new World Trade Center would have been reduced by over 280,000 square meters compared to the original complex. The limit was imposed by Silverstein, who expressed concern about a future terrorist attack or another incident. Much of the building's height would consist of a large open-air above the roof of the tower, containing wind turbines and sky gardens. In the subsequent model, the steel structure was removed. A definitive project for the "Freedom Tower" was formally presented on June 28, 2005. To address security issues raised by the New York City Police Department, a 57-meter-high concrete base was added in April of the same year. The original project planned to clad the base in glass, in order to dismantle criticisms that it resembled too much of a "concrete bunker", a solution that however proved impractical based on the results of preliminary tests, which revealed how the glass could easily shatter into large and dangerous fragments. Design changes led to its replacement with a simple facade consisting of stainless steel panels and explosion-resistant glass.

Location: Manhattan

Inception: 1972

Architect: Minoru Yamasaki

Official opening: 1972

Floors above the ground: 110

Source: Wikimedia