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

[NYguy]

Originally Posted by CalibratedZeus

Here's the rest of the pics from Saturday 2/13.

11.

12.

Great shots. Always love the view from the wintergarden. The tower is rising for all New York to see.

[NYguy]

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/opinion/opedcolumnists/why_we_need_wtc_uhnitx0Jh0nJvHq4jpNXDM

Why we need 1 WTC

By STEVE CUOZZO
February 16, 2010

'Why rent there when you can rent on Park Avenue?" That's what Donald Trump is saying to friends about the new 1 World Trade Center, according to The Post's Lois Weiss. But the fact is, if you're looking for truly modern office space, you probably can't find it on Park -- or almost anywhere else in town.

That's why 1 WTC is vital to the city's future -- and why we should pray Larry Silverstein can soon proceed with at least one of his planned towers at the site.

....Tenants will come to 1 WTC for the same reason they came to Silverstein's 7 WTC, which many expected to fail: Only brand-new buildings offer electronically advanced, environmentally attuned space.

THE fact is, New York is increasingly a city of obsolescent office buildings -- an astounding 65 percent of our stock is at least 50 years old, compared with 24 percent that old elsewhere in the US.

Consistent demand for newly minted Manhattan office space explains why buildings erected "on speculation" -- that is, without tenants signed in advance -- almost invariably do get fully leased up within a year or two of completion. This, despite all the stubborn, ignorant claims that "spec" buildings" stand empty for years and glut the market.

Although not a spec project, 1 WTC might as well be. A mere 190,000 square feet of its total 2.6 million are leased so far (to China's Beijing Vantone). Federal and state agencies are supposed to take 1 million square feet more, but even that will leave some 1.3 million feet up for grabs. Moreover, below-market rents conceded to the government units will put pressure to achieve higher prices on the rest of the tower.

...The credit crisis put the brakes on every office skyscraper that was planned uptown -- including by three of the 1 WTC bidders. At Ground Zero, Silverstein's three planned towers face indefinite delays. But 1 WTC's construction is fully paid for with insurance proceeds, Liberty Bonds and the PA's own capital. Although years behind schedule, its completion is certain.

It's also urgent. Because, while some firms can still settle for, say, moving from a 1970s building on Sixth Avenue to one on Third Avenue, others require newly minted digs offering the latest electronic and mechanical amenities.

Office tower technology advanced more in the last decade than it did in perhaps the preceding 50 years. Only the newest buildings have the 14-foot "slab to slab" floor heights needed to install modern fiber optics -- plus floor-to-ceiling windows and "green" features that save tenants enough money to help mitigate the higher rents such locations charge. "Modern" projects erected as recently as the late 1980s don't compare.

All of which leaves New York, still by far the nation's largest office market, under threat -- not only by London and Shanghai, but by nearer rivals like Stamford, Conn., where Royal Bank of Scotland recently established its headquarters.

[gramsjdg]

Does anybody know about the current status of the communication ring on the roof which encircles the support cables for the spire? I am still confused as to whether they will leave it exposed or cover it as originally intended.
the latest renderings show it exposed, which is absolutely hideous compared to the previous decorative covering
With the covering, it fit in geometrically with the rest of the structure- why are they trying to ruin the design of what is otherwise a very beautiful building?
Is this just a tease or something? You don't have to be an architect to know how bad of a design decision the uncovered ring of microwave dishes is aesthetically. No excuse. None.

Also, is an outdoor observation deck on top of the ring still an option?

[MercurySky]

I am not sure if the spire is being built or not??

[Zensteeldude]

The Spire well be built, it is already bought. It may not be built to the current structural design, but it well be built.

Funny, just the other day I was thinking to myself how the old rendering of the rings looked like a UFO out of a bad '50's sifi movie had landed on the roof. To each his own. The current, and final, Tower One design never had the option of a roof top observation deck. There well never bee one either, not without extensive, and expensive, redesign.

Interesting article ya found there NYGuy. He is just confirming what I have been saying all along, Tower One is bought and paid for, it well be finished.

[cpaul]

two questions, first, how many stories is the tower so far? it's hard to get a good idea of scale since all of the surrounding buildings are also large, and second, why is it that once the base is completed it will rise faster? is the base more complicated? does it use more material? thanks

[MadGnome]

OK. Somebody's gotta ask. Why does Zensteeldude, one of the more literate and the most knowledgeable poster in this asylum always spell "will" "well"?

[Zensteeldude]

The current floor going in now is the 20th floor, 186' 8".

Yes the base is more complex, with more steel and concrete (but not in the floors). In a few weeks the tower well look, and go up like, a normal building. A normal 1,368 foot tall building anyway. (weather permitting)

Also, the floors get smaller (as does the core) the higher they go.

[Zensteeldude]

Because my will well prevent me from doing it any other way. According to Websters New World they are more or less interchangeable.

[Muskavon]

Originally Posted by Zensteeldude

Because my will well prevent me from doing it any other way. According to Websters New World they are more or less interchangeable.

But my eyes well well up if you continue.

Can't wait for some office floors.

[Domamania]

One quick question.

Do any of you know what thoes metal looking colomns with holes in them on top of the scaffle that is on the forth picuture down on this page? Thank you

[MadGnome]

That article lost me. What the heck does a 14 foot slab to slab height have to do with installing a 1/8" thick fiber optics cable? Fibers are insignificant compared to the thousands of wire and coax cables they replace and LED lighting would vastly reduce the power needs and associated wiring of any new building. I replace that old junk with new junk in buildings and ships for a living and that part of that article is complete nonsense.

[Zensteeldude]

Originally Posted by Domamania

One quick question.

Do any of you know what thoes metal looking colomns with holes in them on top of the scaffle that is on the forth picuture down on this page? Thank you

Those are deck form support beams. They go under the form for a floor slab to support the cement untell it's cured.

[Zensteeldude]

Originally Posted by MadGnome

That article lost me. What the heck does a 14 foot slab to slab height have to do with installing a 1/8" thick fiber optics cable? Fibers are insignificant compared to the thousands of wire and coax cables they replace and LED lighting would vastly reduce the power needs and associated wiring of any new building. I replace that old junk with new junk in buildings and ships for a living and that part of that article is complete nonsense.

I was amused by that myself, ducts for the HVAC systems take up far more room.

[Domamania]

Originally Posted by Zensteeldude

Those are deck form support beams. They go under the form for a floor slab to support the cement untell it's cured.

Whats a floor slab?

[Zensteeldude]

Generally speaking a floor slab is a steel re-enforced (steel re-bar) concrete floor with no steel beams supporting it. Once the cement is cured it is self supporting.

A composite floor slab is a concrete floor supported by steel beams almost always with the cement poured over corrugated sheet steel decking. Decking can also be called "leave in place forms".

All the floors from the lobby down are floor slabs, all the floors above the lobby are composite floor slabs. The exception being floors within the core. they are all floor slabs as well.

One last thing floor slabs are usually very thick, 12 to 48 inches in the case of Tower One. Were composit floor slabs are usually less than 8 inches thick, (not including the depth of the steel beams supporting it) and can be as little as 3 inches thick, or even less. (But not in Tower One)

[NYguy]

Originally Posted by gramsjdg

Does anybody know about the current status of the communication ring on the roof which encircles the support cables for the spire?

Also, is an outdoor observation deck on top of the ring still an option?

No outdoor deck.

The current version of the ring hasn't been released, but it is similar to the latest version we've been seeing. Also, Zensteeldude provided a drawing with more details.

[scalziand]

Originally Posted by MadGnome

That article lost me. What the heck does a 14 foot slab to slab height have to do with installing a 1/8" thick fiber optics cable? Fibers are insignificant compared to the thousands of wire and coax cables they replace and LED lighting would vastly reduce the power needs and associated wiring of any new building. I replace that old junk with new junk in buildings and ships for a living and that part of that article is complete nonsense.

The cables themselves might not be that big, but I have been under the impression that they are increasingly being routed underneath raised floor systems(such as this) to permit ease of reconfiguring the space. The raised floor takes up an additional foot or so of space. Having a higher floor-to-floor height also helps in getting daylight into the building(and increases the LEED score) but that has nothing to with the wiring.

[CHAPINM1]

Beauty! Looks like they are fixing up the remainder of the "oh shits on the parimeter steel!" Also, great to see them being almost done with the base. Keep up the outstanding pictures everybody, there can simply never be not enough!

[Zensteeldude]

Generally one only sees the raised floor system in computer rooms etc. not in office space.