Completed in 2014, One World Trade Center designed by SOM recaptures the New York skyline, reasserts downtown Manhattan’s preeminence as a business center, and establishes a new civic icon for the country. It is a memorable architectural landmark for the city and the nation.
photography by © James Ewing
A building whose simplicity and clarity of form will remain fresh and timeless. Extending the long tradition of American ingenuity in high-rise construction, the design solution is an innovative mix of architecture, structure, urban design, safety, and sustainability.One World Trade Center is a bold icon in the sky that acknowledges the adjacent memorial. While the memorial, carved out of the earth, speaks of the past and of remembrance, One World Trade Center speaks about the future and hope as it rises upward in a faceted form filled with, and reflecting, light.
photography by © James Ewing
This tower evokes the slender, tapering triangular forms of great New York City icons such as the Chrysler Building and Empire State Building and replaces almost one-quarter of the office space lost on September 11, 2001.As the tower rises from a cubic base, its edges are chamfered back, resulting in a faceted form composed of eight elongated isosceles triangles. At its middle, the tower forms a perfect octagon in plan and then culminates in a glass parapet whose plan is a 150-foot-by-150-foot square, rotated 45 degrees from the base.Its overall effect is that of a crystalline form that captures an ever-evolving display of refracted light. As the sun moves through the sky or we move around the tower, the surfaces appear like a kaleidoscope and will change throughout the day as light and weather conditions change.
photography by © James Ewing
Project Info:
Architects: Skidmore, Owings & Merrill
Location: New York ,United States
Year: 2015
Site Area: 74,328 ft2
Project Area: 3,500,000 ft2
Project Type: Commercial + Office, Mixed Use
Photographs: James Ewing, Iwan Baan
Manufacturers: Kuraray, POHL, Benson Industries, Carvart, Construction Specialties, Lineabeta, Portland Bolt and Manufacturing, Sevasa, Studco, thyssenkrupp
Acoustics: Cerami & Associates
Structural Engineers: WSP Cantor Seinuk
Geotechnical Engineer: Mueser Rutledge Consulting Engineers
Construction Manager: Tishman Construction Corporation
Civil: Philip Habib & Associates
Landscape Architects: Mathews Nielsen Landscape Architects, Architects Peter Walker Landscape Architecture
Structural Engineers Spire: Schlaich Bergermann Partner
MEP Engineer: Jaros Baum & Bolles
Vertical Transportation: Jaros Baum & Bolles
Transportation Engineer: Philip Habib & Associates
Design Partner: David M. Childs
Managing Partner: T.J. Gottesdiener
Managing Director: Kenneth A. Lewis
Technical Director: Nicholas Holt
Senior Technical Designer: Nicole Dosso
Project Manager: Julie Hiromoto
Senior Design Architect: Frank E. Mahan
Hadeer Shahin is the Built Projects Editor at Arch2O, where she curates innovative architectural works from around the globe. With a background in architecture from Alexandria University and hands-on experience in design and digital content, she bridges the gap between technical precision and editorial vision. Hadeer’s keen eye for spatial storytelling and her passion for contemporary design trends make her a vital contributor to Arch2O’s mission of highlighting excellence in the built environment.