One World Trade Center to Open in 2014
By Lucas on Jan 08, 2014
Via SOM
The development of New York’s One World Trade Center has been ongoing for more than 10 years, but the developers have announced that the tower will finally be completed this year! No official date of completion has been scheduled.
As of 2007, the estimated cost to build One World Trade Center was $3 billion, but five years into the project, the cost rose to an estimated $3.9 billion. By the time it is completed, the final cost could break the $4 billion mark!
Via New York Post
One World Trade Centre topped off in the spring of 2012 at 104 storeys, becoming the tallest building in New York, surpassing the height of the Empire State Building. With the addition of the spire, the building reaches 1,776 feet, making it the fourth tallest building in the world and the tallest in the western hemisphere. There was much debate about whether the spire should be included in the total height, but it has been deemed a part of the building. The spire also houses the “Beacon of Light,” which will shoot a ray of light into the sky at night, making New York’s skyline even more impressive.
Via SOM
Designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP (SOM), One World Trade Center’s shimmering spiral form gives the skyline an organic feel, reminiscent of a giant crystal bursting from the ground. The tower is more than just another tall building; it is a symbol of growth and the future.
“One World Trade Center is a bold icon in the sky that acknowledges the adjacent memorial. While the memorial, carved out of the earth, speaks of the past and of remembrance, One World Trade Center speaks about the future and hope as it rises into the sky in a faceted form filled with, and reflecting, light. This tower evokes the slender, tapering triangular forms of great New York City icons such as the Chrysler Building and Empire State Building and replaces almost one quarter of the office space lost on September 11, 2001.” - SOM
Via SOM
One World Trade Center is the centrepiece of the 16-acre WTC site, which will feature five other skyscrapers. Stay tuned - we’ll be keeping our ears open for the official opening of the western hemisphere’s tallest tower!
