One World Trade Center: Freedom Tower

One World Trade Center is the tallest building in the United States. It was built ten years ago, on the site of the Twin Towers that were destroyed in the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The new tower officially opened on 3 November 2014. Its base has the same footprint as the original towers. From base to parapet, it has the same height, too. A tall spire crowns the building, making it an elegant new icon on the Manhattan skyline.

the twin towers

The Twin Towers were synonymous with New York. Built in 1962, they symbolised financial success and the American Dream. Some people saw them as a challenge. French artist Philippe Petit famously walked on a tightrope between the two buildings without a safety rope in 1974. Toymaker George Willig — nicknamed the Human Fly —climbed up the South Tower in 1977. It took him nearly four hours. John Vincent went down instead of up, in a death-defying BASE jump in 1991.

Act of terror

The attack by Al-Qaeda on 11 September 2001 — simply known as 9/11 — was utterly devastating. The two planes demolished not only the two towers, but also damaged the other buildings in the WTC complex. Besides the attackers, 2,977 people lost their lives. The site burned for 99 days. The clean-up operation took eight and a half months, during which two million tons of steel and rubble were removed. 

A new start

One World Trade Center would become the centrepiece of Ground Zero and a competition was launched to choose the design. Daniel Libeskind’s was the winner: a glass tower, with memorial gardens representing the footprints of the fallen towers. The project changed significantly due to safety concerns. The final construction was designed by David Childs, with advanced features for safety and sustainability. 

One World Trade Center took eight years to complete. It became popularly known as the Freedom Tower. It consists of eight isosceles triangles on a square base, topped by a mast. At 1,776 feet (541 metres) including the spire, it is the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere. The height is a reference to the year 1776, when the Declaration of Independence was approved by Congress.

The highest view

The One World Observatory on the 100th, 101st and 102nd floors offers the highest view over New York, allowing visitors to see up to 45 miles in all directions. The WTC complex has four other towers, a performing arts centre, the Oculus transportation hub and the September 11 Memorial & Museum. Overlooking the complex, over at Liberty Park, is The Sphere, the only piece of art to survive the attack. Now, it is a symbol of resilience and survival.