By Madeleine MacLean
On November 3, 2014, the 104-story One World Trade Center opened. Standing at 1,776 feet tall, the World Trade Center is the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere. The final cost of construction is $3.9 billion–more than double the original estimate.
The building is meant to give the appearance of twisting as it rises up from a bomb-resistant, twenty-story base. Its exterior is comprised of 13,000 glass panels, and the structure includes enough concrete to construct a sidewalk from Manhattan to Chicago. The structure is set on 70 ton shafts of steel and topped with a 408 foot spire. Over 10,000 workers helped construct this new World Trade Center, which is even higher than it was before.
Now, thirteen years after the 9/11 attacks, employees from many different companies, including publishing company CondeNast, are moving into offices in One World Trade Center. Already, incidents have occurred at 1 WTC. On November 12th, two window washers were rescued from a window-washing scaffold dangling dangerously from the 69th floor of the building. Regardless, people see the opening of One World trade center as a fresh start and a symbol of the growth of the United States since September 11, 2001.
