Construction of One World Trade Center
1776 feet high in the air, soaring 104 stories; One World Trade Center is the symbol of hope and perseverance for the New York skyline. At least it will be when it’s finished; One World Trade Center has been in construction since 2004 and has taken longer than most other skyscrapers. Just weeks after the horrific destruction of the original twin towers, cleanup and reconstruction had already begun. This project means a lot because as a country we have to properly honor those who died on September 11, 2001 (9/11). Many are frustrated because the center has run into so many problems. The plan for the center includes seven towers, a memorial and museum; and a transportation hub. Child's design of an obelisk like tower is going to be a step up in innovation for skyscrapers, but the huge project has run into a lot of problems along the way. Construction of the world trade center is a huge project with a lot of pressure to properly remember the victims of 9/11. The beauty and symbolism is supposed to inspire people who see it across the world.

Remembering 9/11

On September 11, 2001 two planes rammed into the twin towers killing almost 3,000 people and wounding thousands of others (www.cnn.com). The South tower of the World Trade Center collapsed first at 9:59 a.m, and the North Tower collapsed 29 minutes later at 10:29. Almost immediately, the U.S. started to rebuild. The famous picture of men standing the American flag on top of the rubble represents the U.S. resilience. Memorials, and condolences rose from everywhere in the country, but the biggest reconstruction project of at ground zero is still going on. The new World Trade Center will honor the victims of 9/11 through a memorial and museum built in the footprints of the original twin towers. The base of One World Trade Center is 200 feet by 200 feet, the same as the base of the twin towers. The observation deck of One World Trade Center is the same height as the taller twin tower. The World Trade Center is as much a building as a memorial to 9/11.

Design of WTC

One World Trade Center is innovative ahead of its time. The safety and sustainability are far above standards of the New York building code. One World Trade Center was given the LEED gold certification. As (www.panynj.gov) says, “It (One World Trade Center) is the most environmentally sustainable project of its size in the world.” There were no shortcuts taken during the building of the tower. The typical glass on an office tower is one inch thick compared to the two inch thick world trade center glass. The concrete used is twice as strong as the concrete used in the hoover dam and more than four times as strong as the concrete used in normal buildings. The 12, 774 mirror like panels used to coat the outside of the tower glisten brilliant yellow and red in the rising sun.

The main architect involved in the plan of the tower, David Child's, took over for Daniel Libeskind who won the original competition to design the new world trade center. Libeskind’s inspiration came from the Statue of Liberty, and he originally wanted to have an off center spire to resemble the torch on the statue. Libeskind placed the tower in its current location so the profile would line up with lady liberty. When Child's took over the design, he re-imagined the freedom tower as a monument for its height, simple and memorable, like the Washington monument. The biggest thing a child can remember from Washington D.C. is the Washington monument. “There’s something powerful about that, at the heart of the city, organizing it all,” (Sandburn, Childs 6). The design of the world trade center, whether Libeskind or Childs, was inspired by other symbols of hope in the U.S.

There are six towers other than than One World Trade Center. The complex also includes a transportation hub, a memorial, and a museum to the victims of 9/11. Seven offices in all, the square feet totals 10,000,000. The center encompasses 16 acres of real estate. The transportation hub will connect 11 lines across New York City. The memorial in the center of the WTC is a waterfall into the footprints of the twin towers. One of the first buildings completed was seven world trade center that had also been destroyed in the 9/11 attacks. The attacks destroyed so much, but now we are constructing a new tower, even bigger, even better, and even stronger.

Construction
The early phases of construction were slower than those of other buildings. After the symbolic laying of the cornerstone in 2004, the actual construction didn’t start until 2006. Controlled explosions were used to clear bedrock for the foundation. On December 19, 2006 the first beam was welded into place at the construction site. By the end of 2007 the foundation and beginning of the tower was almost complete.
The steel structure of One World Trade Center rose steadily without any unfixable problems. By 2010 construction had reached one floor a week and was scheduled to reach 55 stories by the end of the year. The tower progressed on schedule with the glass panel installation reaching about the same rate as the rest of the tower. The Port Authority of New York New Jersey started installation of the spire July 18 2012. In spite of labor and weather delays, on November 12, 2013, the tower was given its official height and named tallest tower in the U.S.
Presently, the tower is almost complete. The building should be ready for occupancy by late November of this year (2014). Testing is going on for all major systems and exterior material not part of the final tower is being removed. Originally there wasn’t much demand to rent out the world trade center but there has been an increase in recent months. A lot of hard work and long hours were put in to the construction of the World Trade Center.
Problems

There have been many problems in the construction of the tower, from money and property disputes, to weather delays. A big delay in 2004 came from disputes on design, and property between Silverstein Properties and The PANYNJ. The delay lasted until 2006 when the two sides reached a deal. The cost of the tower was originally estimated in between 1 and 2 billion. Now the final cost is projected to total almost 4 billion. The remains of an old ship were found underground near the construction sight and construction was halted until the ship could be properly removed. Further delays came in 2012 where an unusually warm winter and financial problems with the steel supplier caused the 92nd take two months to complete. More recently, Hurricane Sandy’s high winds nearly toppled a crane working on the tower. The incident was resolved without any injuries or damage. Two security breaches on what was supposed to be one of the most secure building in the world caused the head of security to resign. For instance, a sixteen year old boy got in the construction site through a hole in the fence and went to the top. Despite many problems the construction of 1WTC proceeds today.
The construction of One World Trade Center is one of the largest projects of the 21st century. There is a lot of importance being placed on its success because it is honoring those who died in the terrorist attacks at the twin towers. Most people can’t wait for it to be finished. The design of the tower is innovative and green. As mentioned earlier, the complex includes six other towers, a memorial, and a transportation hub. Construction has progressed for the last eight years and continues today. Although construction ran into many difficulties, the tower will be completed November of this year. “Our dead are never dead to us, until we have forgotten them,” (George Eliot). By completing this structure we insure that not even our grandchildren's children will forget what happened on September 11, 2001










References
"One World Trade Center || About the WTC." World Trade Center. 09 Apr. 2014. http://www.wtc.com/about/freedom-tower/one-world-trade-center.

Port Authority of New York New Jersey. April 8, 2014. http://www.panynj.gov/wtcprogress/

"George Eliot Quotes." George Eliot Quotes (Author of Middlemarch). Web. 29 Apr.
2014. http://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/173.George_Eliot?.

Sanburn, Josh. The Top Of America. Time, 2014.

"September 11 Anniversary Fast Facts.” CNN. Cable News Network. 01 Jan. 2011. 08 Apr. 2014. http://www.cnn.com/2013/07/27/us/September-11-anniversary-fast-facts/.