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The World Trade Center

Height: 1,368 together with 1,362 feet (417 together with 415 meters)
Owners: Port Authority of New York together with New Jersey
Architect: Minoru Yamasaki, Emery Roth together with Sons consulting
Engineer: John Skilling together with Leslie Robertson of Worthington, Skilling, Helle together with Jackson
Ground Breaking: August 5, 1966
Opened: 1970-73; Apr 4, 1973 ribbon cutting
Destroyed: September 11, 2001
The World Trade Center was to a greater extent than than its signature twin towers: it was a complex of 7 buildings on 16-acres, constructed together with operated yesteryear the Port Authority of New York together with New Bailiwick of Jersey (PANYNJ). The towers, One together with Two World Trade Center, rose at the pump of the complex, each climbing to a greater extent than than 100 feet higher than the argent mast of the Empire State Building.

Construction of a world merchandise facility had been nether consideration since the halt of WWII. In the belatedly 1950s the Port Authority took involvement inwards the projection together with inwards 1962 fixed its site on the W side of Lower Manhattan on a superblock bounded yesteryear Vesey, Liberty, Church together with West Streets. Architect Minoru Yamasaki was selected to pattern the project; architects Emery Roth & Sons handled production work, and, at the asking of Yamasaki, the theatre of Worthington, Skilling, Helle together with Jackson served equally engineers.

The Port Authority envisioned a projection alongside a full of 10 i thou one thousand foursquare feet of share space. To make this, Yamasaki considered to a greater extent than than a hundred dissimilar edifice configurations earlier settling on the concept of twin towers together with iii lower-rise structures. Designed to live real tall to maximize the expanse of the plaza, the towers were initially to rising to entirely 80-90 stories. Only afterwards was it decided to build them equally the world's tallest buildings, next a proposition said to choose originated alongside the Port Authority's populace relations staff......



Yamasaki together with engineers John Skilling together with Les Robertson worked closely, together with the human relationship betwixt the towers' pattern together with construction was clear. Faced alongside the difficulties of edifice to unprecedented heights, the engineers employed an innovative structural model: a stiff "hollow tube" of closely spaced steel columns alongside flooring trusses extended across to a cardinal core. The columns, finished alongside a silver-colored aluminum alloy, were xviii 3/4" broad together with set entirely 22" apart, making the towers seem from afar to choose no windows at all.

Also unique to the applied scientific discipline pattern were its centre together with lift system. The twin towers were the firstly supertall buildings designed without whatsoever masonry. Worried that the intense air pressure level created yesteryear the buildingsâ high speed elevators mightiness buckle conventional shafts, engineers designed a solution using a drywall organisation fixed to the reinforced steel core. For the elevators, to serve 110 stories alongside a traditional configuration would choose required one-half the expanse of the lower stories live used for shaftways. Otis Elevators developed an limited together with local system, whereby passengers would alter at "sky lobbies" on the 44th together with 78th floors, halving the number of shaftways.

Construction began inwards 1966 together with terms an estimated $1.5 billion. One World Trade Center was ready for its firstly tenants inwards belatedly 1970, though the upper stories were non completed until 1972; Two World Trade Center was finished inwards 1973. Excavation to bedrock lxx feet below produced the fabric for the Battery Park City landfill projection inwards the Hudson River. When complete, the Center met alongside mixed reviews, but at 1,368 together with 1,362 feet together with 110 stories each, the twin towers were the world's tallest, together with largest, buildings until the Sears Tower surpassed them both inwards 1974.

The twin towers of the World Trade Center were to a greater extent than than simply buildings. They were proof of New York's belief inwards itself. Built at a fourth dimension when New York's futurity seemed uncertain, the towers restored confidence together with helped convey a halt to the refuse of lower Manhattan. Brash, glitzy, together with grand, they rapidly became symbols of New York.

Rockefeller Brainchild

The World Trade Center was conceived inwards the early on 1960s yesteryear the Downtown-Lower Manhattan Development Association to revitalize the seedy radio row dominated yesteryear electronic stores. Chase Manhattan Bank chairman David Rockefeller, founder of the evolution association, together with his brother, New York governor Nelson Rockefeller, pushed hard for the project, insisting it would practise goodness the entire city.

In 1962, the Port Authority of New York together with New Bailiwick of Jersey began plans to build the center. Minoru Yamasaki together with Associates of Michigan was hired equally architect. Eventually, Yamasaki decided on 2 huge towers. Critics charged that a modern monolith would rob New York of character, ruin the skyline, disrupt tv reception, together with strain metropolis services. However, the projection was approved together with construction began inwards 1966.

In gild to practise the 16-acre World Trade Center site, 5 streets were unopen off together with 164 buildings were demolished. Construction required the earthworks of to a greater extent than than 1.2 i thou one thousand cubic yards of earth, which was used to practise 23.5 acres of province along the Hudson River, at nowadays share of Battery Park City inwards lower Manhattan. During peak construction periods, 3,500 people worked at the site. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 full of 10,000 people worked on the towers; lx died during its construction.

Instant Landmarks

The N tower was opened inwards Dec. 1970 together with the S tower inwards Jan. 1972; they were dedicated inwards Apr 1973. They were the world's tallest buildings for entirely a brusque time, since the Sears Tower inwards Chicago was completed inwards May 1973. However, the towers were ranked equally the 5th together with 6th tallest buildings inwards the world at the fourth dimension of their devastation on Sept. 11, 2001.

Four smaller buildings together with a hotel, all built nearby to a greater extent than or less a cardinal landscaped plaza, completed the complex. The mall at the World Trade Center, which was located instantly below the plaza, was the largest shopping mall inwards lower Manhattan. The 6 basements housed 2 subway stations together with a halt on the PATH trains to New Jersey.

Some 50,000 people worked inwards the buildings, piece some other 200,000 visited or passed through each day. The complex had its ain nix code, 10048.

Previous Bombing

In 1993 terrorists drove a truck packed alongside 1,100 lbs of explosives into the basement parking garage at the World Trade Center. Despite the size of the blast—it left a crater 22 ft broad together with 5 stories deep—only 6 people were killed together with 1,000 injured. The towers were repaired, cleaned, together with reopened inwards less than a month.


Night thought of New York's Freedom Tower from the Hudson River
Rebuilding Plans

In 2002, split pattern contests were held for rebuilding the World Trade Center site together with creating a memorial for the victims of the attacks. The firstly circular of finalists for the site, unveiled inwards July 2002, were widely criticized equally beingness likewise deadening together with having likewise much of an emphasis on share space, leading to a novel circular of finalists inwards December.

In Feb 2003, the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation, which was established yesteryear Governor Pataki to coordinate the diverse agencies together with advisory committees involved inwards the rebuilding efforts, chose architect Daniel Libeskind's pattern for rebuilding the 16-acre site of the one-time World Trade Center. The pattern included a hanging garden, a memorial, a cultural center, together with Freedom Tower, which would live a symbolic 1,776 feet tall from the basis to the top of its spire.

In July 2003, David Childs was brought inwards equally the novel Pb architect of Freedom Tower, although Libeskind remained inwards accuse of designing the site inwards general. The 2 had dissimilar visions for the tower; a pattern combining the approaches of both architects was unveiled inwards Dec 2003. It would include air current turbines inwards its spire, designed to generate equally much equally 20% of the building's power.

On July 4, 2004, New York governor Pataki, New Bailiwick of Jersey governor McGreevey, together with New York City mayor Bloomberg set the cornerstone for the Freedom Tower. The skyscraper, estimated to terms $1.5 billion, is expected to live ready for its firstly occupants yesteryear belatedly 2008, piece construction on the site inwards full general was expected to lastly through 2015.

Just equally construction was beginning, safety concerns were raised, leading to a consummate redesign of the tower. The novel plans were released on June 29, 2005. The tower is to live moved farther dorsum from the street—and volition choose a cubic base of operations the same size equally each of the Twin Towers. The air current turbines choose been eliminated. The pattern recalls that of the old buildings, piece adding its ain twists: starting alongside the foursquare base, the tower's pattern moves to triangular forms, creating an octagon inwards the middle, together with culminates inwards a foursquare at the top, rotated 45 degrees from the base. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 spire volition rising a fleck to a greater extent than than 400 feet beyond that, to retain the planned full meridian of 1,776 feet.

Steady progress has been made on Freedom Tower since construction began inwards Apr 2006. The 2.6 i thou one thousand foursquare human foot edifice volition household share space, an observation deck, restaurants, together with broadcast facilities. Freedom Tower is at nowadays scheduled to opened upwards inwards 2011.


Michael Arad together with Peter Walker's winning pattern Reflecting Absence
Design for World Trade Center Memorial Selected

The Lower Manhattan Development Corporation announced inwards Jan 2004 that architects Michael Arad together with Peter Walker had won a contender to pattern the memorial to the people who died at the World Trade Center. There had been to a greater extent than than 5,000 entries inwards the competition.

The memorial, Reflecting Absence, would honor those who died at the World Trade Center inwards terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, together with Feb 26, 1993.

Reflecting Absence, which volition live built where the Twin Towers i time stood, includes 2 shallow pools surrounded yesteryear leafy trees. The names of the victims would live etched inwards walls to a greater extent than or less the pools.

"In its powerful, even together with thus unproblematic joint of the footprints of the Twin Towers, Reflecting Absence has made the gaping voids left yesteryear the towers' devastation the primary symbol of loss," said Vartan Gregorian, who chaired the jury that chose the winner.

Plans for a novel memorial on the site of One World Trade Center were redesigned inwards June 2006 to address safety concerns, budgetary issues, together with input from the victims' families. The cardinal features—including the 2 pools fed yesteryear waterfalls—will live retained. The names of those killed inwards the attacks volition live moved to the surrounding plaza, inwards a higher house ground.

Work began on the foundation inwards 2006 together with was completed inwards autumn 2007. Construction of the firstly structural framework began inwards 2007. The slurry wall, which held dorsum the Hudson River during the September 11th attacks, volition live accessible for visitors to thought from the memorial. So far $300 i thou one thousand of the $350 i thou one thousand fundraising goal has been raised. The opening of the World Trade Center Memorial is expected for September 11, 2009. Completion of the Museum is expected inwards 2010.

World Trade Center Transportation Hub

The Port Authority Trans-Hudson Transportation Hub (PATH) is expected to convey beauty together with carry efficiency to Manhattan. PATH was designed yesteryear architect Santiago Calatrava to adapt 250,000 pedestrians per day, which is the projected number of pedestrians for 2025. One of the innovative features of the pattern is that natural low-cal volition ambit lx feet below street level. The Federal Transit Administration has given the 800,000 foursquare human foot projection $1.92 billion toward its $2 billion projected cost. In September 2007 construction on PATH began.

The Office Towers

Five World Trade Center share towers volition live a large share of the redevelopment of downtown Manhattan together with transform New York City's skyline. They volition render over 10 i thou one thousand foursquare feet of share space. Construction is expected to live consummate yesteryear 2012.

Performing Arts Center

Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 1,000 topographic point performing arts centre volition live located simply lx feet from One World Trade Center on Fulton together with Greenwich streets. Frank Gehry volition brand designs for the project, which is expected to terms $500 million. The modern trip the low-cal fantastic Joyce Theater volition live featured at the Performing Arts Center equally good equally the Tribecca Film Festival each spring. Construction on the centre volition start inwards 2010 or 2011.