One World Trade Center/Freedom Tower

[dando]

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/05/10/world-trade-center-spire/2149449/

Final spire installed this AM. 1776' tall. All kinds of awesome. :thumbup: Watched it live on The Today Show....Matt Lauer was 1500' up, including climbing ladders for the last 20 floors. :eek: I would have needed Depends to do that. :gomer:

-Kevin

[dando]

Video:

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=50146065n

-Kevin

[TrueBrit]

I understand the symbolism of the 1776 feet, but wouldn't simply making it the tallest building on the planet have been the ultimate eff you to all and sundry?

[Gnam]

^ putting the towers back exactly as they were would have been the best. :D

The WTC memorial is impressive and moving, but just like the Vietnam War memorial it reminds me of an open grave. You should have to climb some stairs and look up to read those names.

[Andrew Longman]

^ putting the towers back exactly as they were would have been the best. :D.Most every time I fly into Newark I hear some out-of-towner seated somewhere nearby say much the same thing as we approach the airport. I can't say I don't sympathize.

Locally I seem to hear almost just as much, "I don't know who would want to work in that". After two attacks on the WTC I get that too. As it is the Empire State Building was known for years as the Empty Space Building. The WTC was a lot empty for years. I hope the can rent this new building.

I've been watching this go up for a few years now. The last few months as they topped it off has been exciting. And it has fixed the "empty sky" feeling every time you looked at the skyline.

Just as an aside... I learned this week that it is built with the traditional I beam construction, but with heavier beams to handle the extra size and weight. This is different from the lightweight stressed skin design which led to the collapse of the twin towers.

[gjc2]

"I don't know who would want to work in that".

I felt that way before September 11th.

I went to Windows on the World a couple of times and I went up to the observation deck once, it was spectacular.

The towers really dominated the skyline; the new building seems frail in comparison.

[stroker]

^ putting the towers back exactly as they were would have been the best. :D



+1

[Insomniac]

I understand the symbolism of the 1776 feet, but wouldn't simply making it the tallest building on the planet have been the ultimate eff you to all and sundry?

It would've, but that would've taken 7 more years and $3.8B more given the state of our Engineering capabilities now.

Point of reference, the World's tallest building is 2x taller (removing the 400 foot tip), cost $1.5B to build and took 6 years.

[cameraman]

I understand the symbolism of the 1776 feet, but wouldn't simply making it the tallest building on the planet have been the ultimate eff you to all and sundry?

Burj Khalifa is 59 stories and a thousand feet taller than One World Trade. Taller than Burj and up to NYC's newer, far stricter building codes wasn't ever going to happen.

[gjc2]

I felt that way before September 11th.

I went to Windows on the World a couple of times and I went up to the observation deck once, it was spectacular.

The towers really dominated the skyline; the new building seems frail in comparison.

I take back the part about it being "frail"

I drove into the city this week, and the view of the Freedom Tower from the LIE is very impressive. It's quite a bit taller than the twin towers were.

[Gnam]

Maybe in the future there will be a need for a second Freedom Tower. For now, I'm happy that bigger is better.

http://s24.postimg.org/tqx6t0ycl/freedom_tower_3.gif

[Gnam]

http://s24.postimg.org/uknkqv8it/tumblr_lepyli_Ky_Re1qe6340o1_1280.jpg

[dando]

Yowza! :eek:

http://25.media.tumblr.com/e78610db570e9b2dac3d02b53a6996c3/tumblr_mmmf76mWJm1s8acfpo1_500.jpg

-Kevin

[datachicane]

http://blogs-images.forbes.com/toddessig/files/2011/08/planetoftheapesending.jpg

3978

[chop456]

:laugh:

Damned dirty apes.

[NismoZ]

IT'S A MADHOUSE!!