Freedom Tower
The Freedom Tower in New York City will be considered “a memorable architectural landmark”. Construction of the World Trade Center Tower I, Freedom Tower, began April 27, 2006, in Lower Manhattan. The tower is due to be finished in 2011. The current figures put the total cost of the tower near $3 billion. The tower is just one of several buildings being constructed to make up the new World Trade Center, a 16 acre complex.
The Freedom Tower will be
- 2.6 million square feet for office space, tenant space, observation decks, restaurants and MTVA – Manhattan Television Alliance broadcasting
- Observation decks will mark 1362 feet and 1368 feet, the height of the Twin Towers, destroyed on September 11, 2001
- An antenna will rise to the final height of 1776, the year of America’s independence
Its "Green" Innovative Design
The tower will prevail as a building of innovative environmentally friendly design. New York Governor George Pataki supported the effort to establish the tower’s design as a “green building design”. The tower project has achieved the U.S. Green Building Council’s Gold LEED certification by creating and adhering to the World Trade Center Sustainable Design Guidelines. The LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, gives building projects the tools to help make them more environmentally friendly. The design is considered “cutting-edge innovation in air quality, energy efficiency, daylighting, water conservation, materials conservation and clean construction” (Lower Manhattan Development Corporation, 2005). The Freedom Tower will meet these guidelines by
- Reusing rainwater for cooling and irrigation
- Using recycled-content building material
- Incorporating windmills and solar panels to generate energy
- Maximizing daylight collection and use
The tower design is considered 20 percent more efficient than New York Energy Conservation Construction Code requires.
Addressing Pressing Safety Concerns
The Freedom Tower also aims to address new and previous security concerns for high-rise buildings, employing new benchmarks of safety and security. The building will put an emphasis on making it more accessible to emergency services. The building will be set back 90 feet from the street to address security concerns. The building material is proposed to consist of blast-resistant stainless steel and titanium. Some of the safety precautions include:
- Extra strong fireproofing
- Biological and chemical air filters
- Extra wide pressurized stairs
- Lower-level emergency lighting
- Additional stair exits
- “Areas of refuge” on each floor
- All will be encased in a 3 foot thick core wall
Construction of the Freedom Tower will be an amazing feat, consisting of astonishing safety and groundbreaking design, embracing coexistence with the natural environment.
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