NEW YORK | One World Trade Center | 1,776' Pinnacle / 1,373' Roof | 108 FLOORS

[Scruffy]

the world trade center has seemed to be immune to a lot of city policing that ive noticed because its on port authority land. i might be wrong. but it doesn't seem to be a problem for 1wtc

[America 117]

Trying to keep on topic here...sorry to hear about the crane accident yesterday at 91st & 1st. Anyway, with a renewed focus now on construction cranes and properly inspecting them, is there any chance the FT could be delayed due to Crane Inspections?

i sure hope it dosent delay it
its been like what 7 years now!!!!!!:hell:

[Gateway395]

^^^No work stoppage at the WTC site business usual.

[America 117]

^^^No work stoppage at the WTC site business usual.

thats good. the last thing we need is a delay.

[NYC4Life]

The citywide work stoppage is only through the weekend.

[antinimby]

the world trade center has seemed to be immune to a lot of city policing that ive noticed because its on port authority land. i might be wrong. but it doesn't seem to be a problem for 1wtcYou are correct. The City's zoning and buildings regulations does not apply on Port Authority properties. They don't even need permits to do work.

Isn't it wonderful there's a place in the City that's free from having to follow all that bureacracy and more importantly, free of NIMBY influence? :cheers:

Any place else, if you were to, for example, try to make Tower 3 bigger from 2.5 msf to 3.0 msf, you'd have to go through years of land use (NIMBY) review and even then you may not even get it.

[NYonward]

You are correct. The City's zoning and buildings regulations does not apply on Port Authority properties. They don't even need permits to do work.

Isn't it wonderful there's a place in the City that's free from having to follow all that bureacracy and more importantly, free of NIMBY influence? :cheers:

Any place else, if you were to, for example, try to make Tower 3 bigger from 2.5 msf to 3.0 msf, you'd have to go through years of land use (NIMBY) review and even then you may not even get it.

The FT didn't have nimby opposition in the traditional sense. Nothing was traditional after 9-11, but let's not give the nimbys a pass on this one. Every knucklehead who is afraid of tall buildings was singing the nimby chorus during the years before the FT was pushed through. It was like a nimby orgy because of all the fear that the attacks brought out.

[NYC4Life]

The Port Authority of NY/ NJ should acquired more land and property so we can build bigger and taller without the NIMBY opposition. But even with the PA, it took 7 years to get a damn shovel on that site's ground.

[Dac150]

The Port Authority of NY/ NJ should acquired more land and property so we can build bigger and taller without the NIMBY opposition.

That doesn't make sense, unless there is some vacant field in Lower Manhattan that I'm not aware of. They are developing on what is theirs, and everything surrounding is privately owned. Where else do you expect them to develop?

[America 117]

maybe the hudson rail yards:hmmm:

[Scruffy]

port authority is on topic.

If the port authority bought the hudson yards from the MTA they would have the same freedom there that the world trade center does.

[Puzzlecraft]

At least four more steel girders above ground since last Friday. A Yay! is in order!

[37TimPPG]

At least four more steel girders above ground since last Friday. A Yay! is in order!

YAY! More Steel! Rise Baby Rise!

Dancing Bananas........

:banana: :banana: :banana: :banana: :banana: :banana: :banana: :banana: :banana: :banana:

[Kamatzu]

It's great to see the successor to an engineering and architectural marvel is shaping up to be just as much the undertaking it was in the 70s. The Twin Towers are gone, but the World Trade Center remains.

What a beautiful place this will shape up to be! Can't wait to see Freedom and his friends go airborne!

[37TimPPG]

It's great to see the successor to an engineering and architectural marvel is shaping up to be just as much the undertaking it was in the 70s. The Twin Towers are gone, but the World Trade Center remains.

What a beautiful place this will shape up to be! Can't wait to see Freedom and his friends go airborne!

That was a very nice way to put it!:cheers:

[aliendroid]

I noticed in some pictures Deutsche bank

Is there a thread about it, are they still taking it apart, how fast is it coming down? Is there anything planned at that site yet?

[37TimPPG]

I noticed in some pictures Deutsche bank

Is there a thread about it, are they still taking it apart, how fast is it coming down? Is there anything planned at that site yet?

Here you go:
http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=115034

[Scruffy]

the Deutsche is talked about more in the 5 WTC thread since it sits on the site where 5wtc will eventually rise

[NYonward]

NY Times
June 3, 2008

Trade Center to Get Tenant From China

By CHARLES V. BAGLI

A Chinese real estate company has signed a nonbinding deal to lease space in the Freedom Tower, making it the first private company to agree to occupy the 102-story skyscraper now under construction at the former World Trade Center site.

The Beijing Vantone Real Estate Company plans to build the China Center, a combination chamber of commerce and cultural center, on floors 64 through 69 of the Freedom Tower, at the southeast corner of West and Vesey Streets. Although Vantone has been close to deals at two other sites downtown in recent years, a company executive and officials from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey expressed confidence that it had finally found a home.

“The China Center will be a gateway for Chinese corporations doing business in the U.S. or U.S. companies that want to understand the Chinese culture and do business there,” said Xue Ya, project director for the China Center.

The Freedom Tower, which will rise 1,776 feet when its antenna mast is included, is the first of four towers to be built at the 16-acre site. The federal and state governments have agreed to lease a total of one million square feet, although neither one has signed a formal lease yet.

“We’re working hard to get this tower built, and we’re also looking to attract world-class tenants to occupy it,” said Christopher O. Ward, the Port Authority’s chief executive. “This interest from Vantone will help us build excitement as we aggressively market this building to other prospective public- and private-sector tenants.”

The Partnership for New York City, a business policy and advocacy group, has long supported the creation of the 189,000-square-foot China Center and has agreed to invest up to $5 million in what will be a $90 million project.

“Establishing the China Center is probably the most important action we can take in support of our international trade relations for the city and the state,” said Kathryn S. Wylde, president of the partnership. “We see this as a way of assuring that New York City businesses develop a primary relationship with the emerging economy of China. This has been an area of competition with other world cities. We want to nail it down for New York.”

More than two years ago, Vantone announced its intention to lease space at the top of 7 World Trade Center, with the support of state and city officials. But the deal unraveled when Vantone was a few days late in posting a $45 million letter of credit.

In any event, Vantone moved on to 195 Broadway, but backed out at the last minute. The company said that it had always wanted to move to the Freedom Tower, and that given the cost of the project, it was unwise to build a temporary home at 195 Broadway. Vantone’s annual rent will start at about $80 per square foot, about $30 more than what it had negotiated at 7 World Trade Center

[America 117]

It's great to see the successor to an engineering and architectural marvel is shaping up to be just as much the undertaking it was in the 70s. The Twin Towers are gone, but the World Trade Center remains.

What a beautiful place this will shape up to be! Can't wait to see Freedom and his friends go airborne!

just wait the FT will be more iconic then the twin towers!!!:cheers:

[NYguy]

If the port authority bought the hudson yards from the MTA they would have the same freedom there that the world trade center does.

The railyards are state owned, so they have a degree of independence...

[NYguy]

NY Times
June 3, 2008

Trade Center to Get Tenant From China

By CHARLES V. BAGLI

A Chinese real estate company has signed a nonbinding deal to lease space in the Freedom Tower, making it the first private company to agree to occupy the 102-story skyscraper now under construction at the former World Trade Center site.

The Beijing Vantone Real Estate Company plans to build the China Center, a combination chamber of commerce and cultural center, on floors 64 through 69 of the Freedom Tower,

“The China Center will be a gateway for Chinese corporations doing business in the U.S. or U.S. companies that want to understand the Chinese culture and do business there,” said Xue Ya, project director for the China Center.

The company said that it had always wanted to move to the Freedom Tower, and that given the cost of the project, it was unwise to build a temporary home at 195 Broadway. Vantone’s annual rent will start at about $80 per square foot, about $30 more than what it had negotiated at 7 World Trade Center

Another good sign for Downtown and the World Trade Center...

[Kamatzu]

It's nice to see the first private lease in the World Trade Center is actually a foreign company.

Good sign indeed!

[androo3]

I am still confused as to when the tower became 102 stories? Did they get rid of the big area with no floors at the bottom? Maybe this was mentioned previously but I missed it I guess.

[NYguy]

I am still confused as to when the tower became 102 stories? Did they get rid of the big area with no floors at the bottom? Maybe this was mentioned previously but I missed it I guess.

It's been that way since the last version came out.

[Kamatzu]

What happened to the other six stories? Hasn't it always been 108?

[NYC4Life]

What happened to the other six stories? Hasn't it always been 108?


The total number of floors is 108..but the top 6 floors are mechanical and do not count as occupied floors...bringing the number of floors on Freedom Tower to 102. The lobby itself counts as 20 floors, but the actual number of floors above it is 82. Confusing..yes :yes:

[aluminum]

So, the *actual* number of floors is only 82.

[NYC4Life]

Not counting the lobby and mechanical floors at the top (103-108)...then yes...82 total occupiable floors.

[2-TOWERS]

So What We Are Saying Is New York Does Not Have A 100 Story Building Right Now Esb Is Only 86 Floors

[NYC4Life]

ESB Is 102 total "actual" floors, of which 85 is for office and commercial space, so yes it is still and will remain (for now) the only true 100+ story skyscraper in NYC, though not the tallest.

[NYguy]

http://www.observer.com/2008/construction-delays-likely-wtc-site

Construction Delays Likely At WTC Site

http://www.observer.com/files/imagecache/vertical/files/brown_31_02_WTC.jpg


by Eliot Brown
June 3, 2008

Construction of various projects at the World Trade Center site, including the Freedom Tower and the September 11 Memorial, could be delayed as the Paterson administration reexamines the shifting reality of the site’s construction budgets and timetables that were set by the Pataki administration.

Christopher Ward, the new executive director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, the site’s landlord, is moving forward with an analysis of construction completion dates and other issues. He plans to publicly address the situation as soon as the next few weeks.

As he does so, numerous people involved with redevelopment downtown say delays are widely expected for multiple projects, including the National September 11 Memorial and Museum, the PATH station that features a Santiago Calatrava-designed oculus, and perhaps the Freedom Tower. In the past few years, officials have been working with unrealistic dates, people involved said, as the complexities of the site were never fully understood before the timetables were set.

A government-commissioned assessment found that the interior museum portion of the memorial may not be ready until 2013 or 2014, pushed back from the most recent target of 2011, the people involved with the redevelopment said. The PATH station, once expected to cost $2.2 billion, is the furthest behind schedule and overbudget, with completion not expected until at least 2013, up from 2009. Utilities connecting to all the site are behind schedule, and the Freedom Tower is thought to be closer to the target date of 2012 than any of the other projects, though its completion date may now be at least 2013.

The decision to reevaluate the dates set by the Pataki administration represents a turnaround from the Spitzer administration, which was aware of the site’s challenges but chose generally to publicly keep the target dates as opposed to blaming departed officials for delays and then setting a new schedule.

A former state official said the rationale at the time was that more conservative targets would have had a deterministic effect, resulting in an overall later completion of the whole site. Had the Spitzer administration set new dates, it felt, the contractors would have had no incentive to finish the jobs any earlier than the new targets. But by choosing to keep the less realistic dates, officials hoped to push the contractors to come at least somewhat close to hitting those original marks.

That stance drew internal fire in the Spitzer administration from the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation, said people familiar with discussions, though the Port Authority maintained the approach.

Now there’s new leadership in Albany and at the Port Authority—Mr. Ward was sworn in as executive director in May—and the unrealistic target dates are drawing nearer with the projects’ completions still far away.

“The Port Authority was asked to take the lead in rebuilding in late 2006, and the site went from a complete stop on construction to a sprint,” said a Port Authority spokesman, Stephen Sigmund. With a new director, “it’s totally appropriate for him to want to—and for the board and our governors to want him to—do a full assessment of the projects to make sure they’re moving forward accountably and with achievable timelines and budgets.”

THE WORLD TRADE CENTER site is one of tremendous complexity, and timetables for the various projects were set at a point when officials had not yet done the requisite work to determine whether the firm dates were actually attainable, said multiple people familiar with the rebuilding effort. The Pataki administration had already pushed date after date—the Freedom Tower and the PATH station were once scheduled to have opened by now—and at the time when the recent completion dates were set, Governor Pataki was pondering a run for president, with the revitalization of Lower Manhattan poised to be a major issue.

As Mr. Pataki was leaving office, the city-/state-controlled Lower Manhattan Construction Command Center brought in a host of outside consultants to make an independent risk assessment that looked at the various projects at the site, considering their target completion dates and potential impediments. The result, a closely held report, painted a picture of an uncoordinated mess at ground zero, with innumerable obstacles to target timelines and budgets, people familiar with the report said. Each of the projects on the site was found to be acting as if it were on a site of its own, with a notable and substantial lack of coordination, a structure that lends itself to setbacks.

The expected delays now come in part as a result of the interconnected nature of construction, as changes or unanticipated actions at one project affect numerous other operations on the Rubik’s Cube-like site.

Four towers over 900 feet tall are being constructed simultaneously over a relatively small footprint with little space for staging; the Port Authority needs to construct a vehicle security center that cannot be built until the former Deutsche Bank tower is demolished; the memorial may have trouble functioning without the completion of an underground parking garage beneath developer Larry Silverstein’s towers; PATH and subway trains must run continuously; the office towers cannot function until common utility infrastructure is built on the site, a program well behind schedule; and the box that holds the No. 1 subway line must be reinforced and supported before any work through much of the site can move forward—a task that was not initially anticipated with the level of complexity required, people familiar with the site said.

In the case of the memorial and the museum, much of the interior work is dependent upon the completion of the adjacent PATH hub, which in turn is undergoing revisions in an attempt to cut costs. The target completion is now set for the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, but the LMCCC report from last year found that the interior museum portion is unlikely to be completed before 2013, according to people familiar with the findings.

The biggest delays and overruns at the site are at the PATH hub, a $2.2 billion project that was given a budget and timeline well before anyone grasped its intricacies, officials say. First, the entire temporary PATH station on the eastern edge of the site must be completely removed and excavated down to the bedrock before any work can begin. Then the structure must be built with an intricate network of mechanical and technical infrastructure, parking, retail, a spacious concourse, and a pricey above-ground winged, spiky structure.

Fitting all of that into the $2.2 billion budget is considered a total impossibility; as of April, the Port Authority was set on holding the costs to $2.5 billion, a number that includes a $300 million contingency fund from the Federal Transit Administration, though that position also may change.

As for timelines, a December risk assessment from the F.T.A. found that the project has a 50-50 chance of being finished by June 2013.

The Freedom Tower is considered in more stable shape financially than the PATH station, as the bulk of the construction contracts have already been bid upon and awarded. People familiar with the construction said it stands to be at least six months behind schedule, pushing into 2013 at least.

As for the other projects at the site, those involved in the rebuilding generally considered the delivery dates for Mr. Silverstein’s Towers 2, 3 and 4—in 2012—to be relatively realistic; however, they, too, are very dependent on the progress elsewhere. The towers are all to get electricity and other utilities, for instance, from a central infrastructure to be built by the Port Authority.

Mr. Silverstein recently was given an extra four to six months to complete two of the towers, as he is negotiating to potentially bring Merrill Lynch to a redesigned Tower 3.

Then there is the Performing Arts Center, a Frank Gehry-designed building planned to go on the northern edge of the site. The hundreds of millions in necessary funding for the center is virtually nonexistent right now, and construction would have to wait at least four or five years, people familiar with the site say. The state and city are also still considering a proposal to move it above the troubled Fulton Street Transit Center a few blocks to the east.

Two other buildings, Fiterman Hall to the north of the site and the former Deutsche Bank building to the south, still remain damaged and are awaiting deconstruction. The state is working on bringing down the Deutschetower, at 130 Liberty Street, by first decontaminating it, but the demolition of CUNY’s Fiterman Hall is held up as the city and state have a dispute over funding.

“One-thirty liberty has to come down; Fiterman Hall has to come down,” said Elizabeth Berger, president of the Alliance for Downtown New York, the major business group in Lower Manhattan. “I can’t believe that we will have the seventh anniversary of 9/11, and they will still be up.”

With regard to construction at the World Trade Center site, Ms. Berger expressed confidence in the effort to set new, realistic dates, as construction is indeed moving forward.

“What’s important are real timetables, real schedules, and meeting them, and action now,” she said. “There is progress, we’re excited about that. It can’t stop; it’s got to keep going.”

[aluminum]

So What We Are Saying Is New York Does Not Have A 100 Story Building Right Now Esb Is Only 86 Floors

Yes. The floors in the observation tower on the top of ESB aren't real, it has only 86 floors. ( If they are, shouldn't the CN tower be counted 147 floors ? :haha: ) New York does not have any 100 story building. It had 2 in the past though, thanks to Mr. Brave Minoru Yamasaki.

[America 117]

i think i heard wtc 2 also has 100 floors

[America 117]

Yes. The floors in the observation tower on the top of ESB aren't real, it has only 86 floors. ( If they were, shouldn't the CN tower be counted 147 floors ? :haha: ) New York does not have any 100 story building. It had 2 in the past though, thanks to Mr. Brave Minoru Yamasaki.

really
thats why it is 100 floors i dident know thay counted the tower in floors???
ive heard that not counting the tower it was still 100 floors :shrug:

[America 117]

Not counting the lobby and mechanical floors at the top (103-108)...then yes...82 total occupiable floors.

to me it dosent really matter
a floor is a floor no matter what its used for
in my book it still counts. but thats just me:rolleyes:

[aluminum]

to me it dosent really matter
a floor is a floor no matter what its used for
in my book it still counts. but thats just me:rolleyes:

Even with those mechanical floors, the floor count doesn't add up to 100 unless we say that the base has 20 floors, which it doesn't. Maybe thats why its still says 82 floors for FT at emporis. http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/bu/?id=201521

[androo3]

Should be if I can get in an elevator and go to that floor than it counts or if I can take stairs to it. Except Mechanical floors since they are not occupiable. Otherwise it is just marketing hype to claim more floors. 20 floors that aren't there makes no sense except to claim you have 100 floors. So is there actually "floors" added to Freedoms Base or are they just claiming 20 floors?

[2-TOWERS]

the twin towers were a true 110 each , they had mechanical floors above the lobby and the 44th and 78th floof sky lobbies and also the lobby was a at least 6 floors. yet all the floors were counted to 109 floors 110 on the roof.actually they were 117 if you counted the basement floors.....:D

[Kamatzu]

While we're on the subject of floors, I still think it's a shame the new 1WTC has to have a base that is so obviously the product of paranoia. Oh well, it's better than it would have been. Can't complain about a safe building, I suppose.

[Lecom]

It is indeed 108 floors, and 1,368' is not roof height - that's the height of the top parapet and curtain walls used to hide rooftop equipment. Actual roof height is about 15 feet shorter than that.

[CoolCzech]

While we're on the subject of floors, I still think it's a shame the new 1WTC has to have a base that is so obviously the product of paranoia. Oh well, it's better than it would have been. Can't complain about a safe building, I suppose.

Ummm... :uhh: you just did...

[Capsule F]

Ummm... :uhh: you just did...

hehehehehehahahahheheeheheehhoohohohohehehahahahaha

[Kamatzu]

Ummm... :uhh: you just did...
Haha, sorry. Posted about a random thought that probably should have just stayed in my head. =P

[NYguy]

wtcrising.com

http://www.wtcrising.com/images/FE/chain217siteType8/site187/client/photoGallery/189/WTC%20Site%20-%20June%202008_big.jpg

[NYC4Life]

That is one site to behold :rolleyes:

[America 117]

While we're on the subject of floors, I still think it's a shame the new 1WTC has to have a base that is so obviously the product of paranoia. Oh well, it's better than it would have been. Can't complain about a safe building, I suppose.

Paranoia????????
i dont really get what your trying to say?:shrug:

[NYC4Life]

The base itself was probably designed to prevent the tower from being a target of a truck bomb, but the location of the tower itself changed slightly due to concerns from the NYPD over exactly that concern. Either way, Freedom Tower is being constructed to become one of the safest, if not the safest building in NYC and abroad.

[ardecila]

When are they planning to build Fulton Street past the site? Is that upcoming, or will they build it in a later stage?

[NYguy]

When are they planning to build Fulton Street past the site? Is that upcoming, or will they build it in a later stage?

That will come later.

[America 117]

\ Either way, Freedom Tower is being constructed to become one of the safest, if not the safest building in NYC and abroad.

as a matter of fact its going to be the number 1 safest skyscraper in the world

[aluminum]

^ Don't be too quick when analyzing the facts concerned with the "world". Remember, the world is a very big place. Thats a problem with some people. I bet there are tens of thousands of people in NYC who still think that the Freedom Tower is going to be the tallest building in the world when theres a 2000' high roof U/C not 800 miles away.

[Dac150]

^ Don't be too quick when analyzing the facts concerned with the "world".

It'll rank up there in terms of office buildings. But when you take government buildings into consideration, I'm sure that there are hundreds, if not thousands, of buildings more secure than the Freedom Tower.

The WTC as a whole will be a very safe and secure complex of buildings. They are sparing no expense in regards to safety, among other things.

[NYguy]

^ Don't be too quick when analyzing the facts concerned with the "world". Remember, the world is a very big place. Thats a problem with some people. I bet there are tens of thousands of people in NYC who still think that the Freedom Tower is going to be the tallest building in the world when theres a 2000' high roof U/C not 800 miles away.

New York is not alone in that regard. People generally don't have interests in skyscrapers, and half of them still think the Empire State is world's tallest. Very big place indeed.

[NYguy]

In the shadow of Goldman...from 1980Andrew (http://flickr.com/photos/25690090@N03/)

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3189/2550308060_b40ffd19d5_b.jpg


http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3043/2550269198_1a63127b62_b.jpg

[NYguy]

From Grand Apple (http://flickr.com/photos/25426462@N07/)

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3028/2539349562_4a2cf1e3f8_b.jpg


http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2343/2539356012_b441e3bca4_b.jpg


http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2034/2538532339_56e96c3e1a_b.jpg

[America 117]

^ Don't be too quick when analyzing the facts concerned with the "world". Remember, the world is a very big place. Thats a problem with some people. I bet there are tens of thousands of people in NYC who still think that the Freedom Tower is going to be the tallest building in the world when theres a 2000' high roof U/C not 800 miles away.

but it is. how could there be one safer. there would not be a reson to make it safer because no other tower has had 9/11 happen. there making sure its the safest .
it is a fact its the safest skyscraper

NOTE: i said skyscraper

and you are right. im sure a 1 floor building is safer then any skyscraper but it also depends on hight

[Swede]

Stay on topic ppl!
it's annoying to have to clear up

[America 117]

when is the freedom tower going to have its first floor all ive been seeing are beams and steal?

[Kamatzu]

when is the freedom tower going to have its first floor all ive been seeing are beams and steal?
Most likely sometime between today and 2011. :haha:

In all seriousness, though. I believe I've heard September or October as a reasonable guess to see the first floors start popping up. Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

[America 117]

Most likely sometime between today and 2011. :haha:

In all seriousness, though. I believe I've heard September or October as a reasonable guess to see the first floors start popping up. Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

that sounds great :banana:
but i wish it could be a little sooner.

[NYguy]

Doesn't seem that long ago that ground zero was just a giant hole in the ground, and not the full fledged construction site that it is today.
What we're seeing today is not the stuff that has to be removed, but permanent pieces of the new WTC. Doesn't seem like much now,
but it is the foundation in more than the literal sense, of New York's grandest complex.


From Grand Apple (http://flickr.com/photos/25426462@N07/)

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3028/2539349562_4a2cf1e3f8_b.jpg


http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2343/2539356012_b441e3bca4_b.jpg


http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2034/2538532339_56e96c3e1a_b.jpg

[NYguy]

From Moxie Star (http://flickr.com/photos/moxiestar/)

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3024/2560399046_eafc918644.jpg?v=0


http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3024/2560399046_a3f78f0fb0_o.jpg


http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3163/2559577677_5829fc80e1_o.jpg


http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3075/2560400012_a77ca165a0_o.jpg

[colemonkee]

Looks like one of those core sections is at ground level, or really close.

[Lecom]

http://img123.imageshack.us/img123/420/p10307531wtcucjun08tothyu9.jpg

http://img116.imageshack.us/img116/2205/p10307541wtcucjun08tothdz7.jpg

[NYC4Life]

Freedom Tower will look great for the same reason as some of the females working on it :)

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3028/2539349562_4a2cf1e3f8_b.jpg

[Scruffy]

it was freaking hot out. i might not have been so determined to get this downtown trip done had I not been accompanied by Lecom.
6/9
The core is just below street level. Super exciting. Also you can see the first slanted beam of the base.
http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z70/Scruffy66/saya/DSC02140.jpg

http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z70/Scruffy66/saya/DSC02148.jpg

http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z70/Scruffy66/saya/DSC02152.jpg

http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z70/Scruffy66/saya/DSC02153.jpg

http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z70/Scruffy66/saya/DSC02154.jpg

http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z70/Scruffy66/saya/DSC02156.jpg

http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z70/Scruffy66/saya/DSC02157.jpg

[Scruffy]

http://z.about.com/d/architecture/1/7/C/h/freedomtowerModelBaseNight_06-27-06.jpg

http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z70/Scruffy66/saya/DSC02148.jpg

[Puzzlecraft]

Great photos, thanks. Real progress now, the slanted beams at the first corner and.... a couple cross beams! Just a massive amount of super-thick rebar too.

[NYguy]

And the excitement continues to build. This is really a significant moment in the rise and fall and rise again of the WTC.

[Dac150]

I tell you, as each and every day passes I get more and more excited about the progress that is being made. Just give it a little longer and before you know it steel will shoot up out of the ground. This is what we've all been waiting for and it's beginning to happen.

[Lt. Washburn]

What is the plan for the site immediately surrounding the tower? Will it be built up/filled in fairly quickly so that they can work on the tower from street level, or will the base remain in the open pit for a very long time?

[Ghost]

I don't think they can build everything before the temporary PATH entrance is removed and the memorial starts to get its shape but they should be able to build the area right next to the tower. But the tower itself will rise anyway.

[theWatusi]

awesome...things are moving along nicely now.

[NYguy]

I tell you, as each and every day passes I get more and more excited about the progress that is being made.

I get really excited when I think of the old skyline with the Twins, and the way they dominated, and how these towers will do the same. In a couple of years, when these towers are topped out, people will remember how special the WTC was on the lower Manhattan skyline.

[NYguy]

From Graham Jenks (http://flickr.com/photos/earljenx/)


http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3009/2565404268_b235710428_b.jpg

[Kamatzu]

It's amazing to think of all the people and things that had passed through the walls of the World Trade Center. If buildings could talk, they would have alot to say... It had seen people like John Lennon, Frank Sinatra, and just the advancement of humanity in general was witnessed by the complex. Of course, if they could talk, they would probably win more science fairs than beauty pageants. :rolleyes:
It's great to know that the new World Trade Center is rising to be just as much the wonderful complex that the old one was, and more.

As progress is made at a faster rate, the anticipation is starting to kick in. It's only a few milestones from completion now! From ground level, to the base, the floors, the antenna, and then the facade. On a galactic clock, it's a blink of an eye away!

[RockMont]

As soon as the ground work and foundations are done, I think it'll speed up.

[Kamatzu]

Maybe this I'm late to the answer of this question, but what exactly will the base consist of? No floors, I hear. But will it just be an empty void of steel and concrete? Mechanics?

Just a little confused on that. Surely someone here can spread their wisdom. =P

[37TimPPG]

Maybe this I'm late to the answer of this question, but what exactly will the base consist of? No floors, I hear. But will it just be an empty void of steel and concrete? Mechanics?

Just a little confused on that. Surely someone here can spread their wisdom. =P

The base won't just be an empty void of steel and concrete. Pretty sure the base will house most of the mechanicals of the FT.

The first 10 floors of 7 WTC house the ConEd substation.

The top few floors of FT will also house mechanicals. There will be 82 occupiable floors in FT.:cheers:

[America 117]

now i cant wait to see floors come up on the FT

[Manahata]

New York Governor Says WTC Site
Faces Delays, Asks to Take a Look
Associated Press
June 11, 2008 5:17 p.m.

NEW YORK -- New York Gov. David Paterson says the World Trade Center site redevelopment faces "likely delays" and wants to take a new look at the project.

Mr. Paterson on Wednesday asked the executive director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to determine if the latest deadlines and budgets for the project are feasible. Mr. Paterson wants an update by the end of the month.

Five office towers, a Sept. 11 memorial, a transit hub and a performing center are planned at the 16-acre site.

The Port Authority also said Wednesday it would be late on a deadline to turn over land that a private developer needs to begin building a planned office tower. The agency will pay over $9.6 million in late fees to developer Larry Silverstein for not finishing the foundation by June 30.

[America 117]

im soo sick of delays

[37TimPPG]

:hell: New York Governor Says WTC Site
Faces Delays, Asks to Take a Look
Associated Press
June 11, 2008 5:17 p.m.

NEW YORK -- New York Gov. David Paterson says the World Trade Center site redevelopment faces "likely delays" and wants to take a new look at the project.

Mr. Paterson on Wednesday asked the executive director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to determine if the latest deadlines and budgets for the project are feasible. Mr. Paterson wants an update by the end of the month.

Five office towers, a Sept. 11 memorial, a transit hub and a performing center are planned at the 16-acre site.

The Port Authority also said Wednesday it would be late on a deadline to turn over land that a private developer needs to begin building a planned office tower. The agency will pay over $9.6 million in late fees to developer Larry Silverstein for not finishing the foundation by June 30.


NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:hell: :hell: :hell:

Oh S**T!!!!!!!!!!:hell: :hell: :hell:


You've got to be kidding me!? Stop F***ing around and just build the damn thing without anymore delays!!!!!!!!!!!

[photoLith]

It is inevitable that there are going to be lots of delays for this site. I mean, you have about every person in NYC looking over it and Im sure theres a billion entities involved, so there are going to be delays.

[NYguy]

Maybe this I'm late to the answer of this question, but what exactly will the base consist of? No floors, I hear. But will it just be an empty void of steel and concrete? Mechanics?

Just a little confused on that. Surely someone here can spread their wisdom. =P


A look at the base:

http://www.pbase.com/nyguy/image/64463214/original.jpg


http://www.pbase.com/nyguy/image/78009066/original.jpg


http://www.pbase.com/nyguy/image/78009053/large.jpg

[NYguy]

A little older, from the Port Authority

http://panynj.com/info/images/May08_WTC_1.jpg

[NYguy]

http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/connecticut/ny-bc-ct--utc-freedomtower0611jun11,0,6800938.story

UTC Power to supply fuel cells for Freedom Tower

June 11, 2008


SOUTH WINDSOR, Conn. (AP) _ A skyscraper planned for the site of the World Trade Center will use an alternative energy source to supply some of the power at the massive complex.

UTC Power, a subsidiary of United Technologies Corp., will supply 12 fuel cells totaling 4.8 megawatts for the Freedom Tower and three other buildings at the lower Manhattan site. It's among the largest fuel cell installations in the world, according to UTC Power and the New York Power Authority.

The amount of megawatts is equivalent to the power used by up to 4,800 homes, said Michael Saltzman, spokesman for the New York Power Authority, which made the deal with UTC Power.

Delivery of the fuel cell systems, valued at $10.6 million, is set to begin in January.

"We are extremely pleased to be part of this prestigious, landmark project that is a global example of green building design," Jan van Dokkum, president of South Windsor-based UTC Power, said in a statement Wednesday.

The technology draws energy from a chemical reaction when hydrogen combines with oxygen to form water.

The Freedom Tower, which is scheduled to open in 2012, will be owned by the Port Authority of New York and Towers 2, 3 and 4 will be owned and managed by World Trade Center Properties LLC.

UTC Power said the fuel cell it will use for the Freedom Tower has double the operating life and delivers twice the power and thermal energy of its previous system. Onsite power generation at the site also will help reduce the need to upgrade electric infrastructure and does not contribute to air pollution.

New York Gov. David Paterson hailed the use of the alternative technology for the rebuilt site.

"I can think of few sites in the country where the symbolism of this is more important," he said in a statement.

[America 117]

wow
thats alot of power
but its a huge complex of skyscrapers

[philvia]

its not a delay.. its just behind schedule

OH NOEEEEE

[America 117]

A look at the base:




http://www.pbase.com/nyguy/image/78009066/original.jpg




i love this pix with the HUGE waterfall right next to the FT
i wonder how many movies will be made at NWTC

[photoLith]

wow thats incredible, I had no idea that fuel cells could produce that much power! There should be more of those everywhere. Does anyone know how much of the tower will get its supply from these fuel cells, will it be just a small amount of the power required for the building?

[NYguy]

Does anyone know how much of the tower will get its supply from these fuel cells, will it be just a small amount of the power required for the building?


Quote from
http://www.courant.com/business/hc-utcpower0612.artjun12,0,3357434.story

"The generating capacity of the fuel cells at the trade center site represents a small fraction of the total power needs of the planned towers. But the use of fuel cells in so prominent a project appears to offer a significant endorsement of the technology, which has struggled to find widespread market acceptance."

[NYguy]

Feeling the excitement build...

JUNE 11, 2008

1.
http://www.pbase.com/nyguy/image/98595206/large.jpg

2.
http://www.pbase.com/nyguy/image/98595218/large.jpg

3.
http://www.pbase.com/nyguy/image/98595220/large.jpg

4.
http://www.pbase.com/nyguy/image/98595221/large.jpg

5.
http://www.pbase.com/nyguy/image/98595222/large.jpg

6.
http://www.pbase.com/nyguy/image/98595226/large.jpg

7.
http://www.pbase.com/nyguy/image/98595227/large.jpg

8.
http://www.pbase.com/nyguy/image/98595240/large.jpg

9.
http://www.pbase.com/nyguy/image/98595242/large.jpg

10.
http://www.pbase.com/nyguy/image/98595244/large.jpg

11.
http://www.pbase.com/nyguy/image/98595245/large.jpg

12.
http://www.pbase.com/nyguy/image/98595247/large.jpg

13.
http://www.pbase.com/nyguy/image/98595257/large.jpg

15.
http://www.pbase.com/nyguy/image/98595257/original.jpg

[America 117]

wow
cant wait to see it in the sky!!

[Lt. Washburn]

Is that the core they're pumping concrete to?

[STERNyc]

I've said it before, I won't get excited until I start to see some horizontal steel beams. Well, now for the first time, I'm excited!

[NYC4Life]

^ Now the next time to get excited is when the 1st glass panel is put in place.

[NYguy]

http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/newyork/ny-bc-ny--groundzerocranes0613jun13,0,5126987.story

NYC crane debate, for now, bypassed at busy ground zero

By AMY WESTFELDT
June 13, 2008


At one of the biggest construction sites in New York, about 15 cranes are jockeying for space, building skyscrapers and excavating foundations for others. None has been cited with a violation.

As debates over crane regulation dominate the construction industry following two deadly crane collapses in Manhattan, the city doesn't have power to inspect the World Trade Center site and the high-profile building of office towers, a transportation hub and memorial to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

The bistate agency that owns ground zero does its own crane inspections, and has stepped up training for its workers since two tower cranes collapsed over the past three months in Manhattan, killing nine people.

With 17 tower cranes expected on the 16-acre site by next year, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey has asked city buildings inspectors to begin regular visits. The buildings department said Friday it would discuss how to "have a role" in crane inspections at the site.
The city is under fire over the department's regulations of the cranes that collapsed, and two inspectors have been charged with corruption since March. Four inspectors monitor the more than 200 cranes at work across the city.

But the Port Authority has also faced criticism for not being subject to city regulations.

"If there's that many cranes down there, it seems to me that (New York City) would actually have to assign ... at least a few people as their full-time job for something like that," said Glenn Corbett, an adviser with the Skyscraper Safety Campaign, which has lobbied for years for city oversight at ground zero.

Tom O'Connor, a Port Authority engineer in charge of cranes, says the agency has its own inspection system for cranes, although most of the ground zero contractors hire their own engineers to do annual inspections.

"We use the same city forms," O'Connor said. And if cranes are not registered in the city or contractors don't have the proper paperwork, "we've turned cranes away at the gate."

Two tower cranes _ the largest kind used to build high-rises _ are on the trade center site now, building the framework for the 1,776-foot Freedom Tower on the property's northwest corner. Standing about 180 feet tall, both rigs are owned by New York Crane, the owner of the two cranes that collapsed in March and May elsewhere in Manhattan. O'Connor said both cranes came to the site brand-new; the crane that collapsed on May 30 was more than 20 years old.

One of the tower cranes at ground zero needed to have its boom _ the arm that lifts and loads materials from the base _ replaced over a year ago after a rope attached to the crane got tangled with other equipment, O'Connor said.

Tishman Construction Corp., the general contractor building the Freedom Tower, retained an independent consultant recently to conduct crane inspections. The Port Authority has a 15-person safety team that monitors the tower cranes and the smaller cranes working on the transit hub and helping excavate foundations for three other office towers.

By next year, O'Connor said, two tower cranes will be assigned to each of the three adjacent towers being built on the site's east side. He said the agency had never had cranes collide and was looking at software that could help detect potential equipment collisions before they happened.

The Port Authority said it sought the city's help this year, while construction focused below street level on the buildings' foundations, before the site became too crowded with cranes.

"We're still working on the basement," O'Connor said. "It's pretty easy to see everything."

[philvia]

i can wait to sit and watch 17 cranes doing the construction dance :p