One World Trade Center, America’s tallest building, on Monday welcomed its first tenants, publishing group Conde Nast, highlighting a symbolic moment 13 years after the 9/11 attacks that brought down the original Twin Towers.
About 175 executives of the group that publishes magazines like The New Yorker and Vanity Fair, filed through the doors of the building on Vesey Street, just steps from the memorial and museums erected at the site where the Twin Towers once stood.
The iconic Manhattan landmark collapsed in fire and smoke on September 11, 2001 after being hit by hijacked airliners flown by al Qaeda militants. Nearly 3,000 people were killed in the attacks, which also targeted the Pentagon.
The new tower is the centerpiece of a five tower complex. It stands 104 stories and 1,776 feet (540 meters) tall, a height representing the year the United States declared its independence from Britain.
The public will be able to access an observation deck on floors 100 to 102, which is to open in the spring.
The new WTC complex includes five towers, a memorial and museum that opened in May, a center for the performing arts and about 55,000 square feet (5,100 square meters) of retail space that connect to an extensive transportation network.
Calling itself a “shining beacon for New York’s downtown,” the One World Trade Center has a sustainable design at its core that integrates renewable energy, interior daylighting, the reuse of rainwater and recycled construction materials.
As for safety, the building features dense fireproofing, biochemical filters, extra-wide pressurized stairs, multiple backup emergency lighting, and concrete protection for all sprinklers.
“Exits are designed to ensure easy evacuation, and all safety systems are encased in the core wall, with the enhanced elevators,” according to the site’s property managers.
The first new building erected at the site of the attacks was the Four World Trade designed by Japanese architect Fumihiko Maki. It opened in November 2013.
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