How tall was the world trade center

Designed to be very tall to maximize the area of the plaza, the towers were initially to rise to only stories. Only later was it decided to construct them as the world's tallest buildings, following a suggestion said to have originated with the Port Authority's public relations staff.

Yamasaki and engineers John Skilling and Les Robertson worked closely, and the relationship between the towers' design and structure was clear.

Faced with the difficulties of building to unprecedented heights, the engineers employed an innovative structural model: a rigid "hollow tube" of closely spaced steel columns with floor trusses extended across to a central core. Also unique to the engineering design were its core and elevator system.

The twin towers were the first supertall buildings designed without any masonry. The tower consists of a reinforced concrete core with steel structure outside the core, and clad in an external structural steel frame.

The three-story high lobby provides visitors a "big picture window" of the Memorial park outside. Upper level floors straddle those beneath in a podium building formation, lending the tower a distinct interlocking nature and facilitating the high occupancy of the office floors. The design of 2 WTC is derived from its urban context at the meeting point between two very different neighborhoods: the Financial District with its modernist skyscrapers and TriBeCa with its lofts and roof gardens.

The design combines the unique qualities of each, melding high-rise with low-rise and modern with historical. The needs and requirements of its tenants are concentrated into seven separate building volumes, each tailored to their unique activities.

The stacking creates 38, sf 3, sm of outdoor terraces full of lush greenery and unprecedented views of the surrounding cityscape, extending life and social interaction outdoors.

A public plaza at the foot of the building and access to , sf 32, sm of shopping and restaurants in the adjacent transportation hub and concourses will ensure life and activity in and around the new World Trade Center. The modernist skyscraper and the contemporary interpretation of the pre-modern setback merge in a new hybrid and an exciting addition to the NYC skyline.

BIG — Bjarke Ingels Group is a New York and Copenhagen based group of architects, designers and thinkers operating within the fields of architecture, urbanism, research and development.

BIG is led by 12 partners and 17 Associates. With an international team of more than people, BIG works on projects across a broad spectrum of industries and in more than 20 countries worldwide. We take a human-centered approach to our work - looking at how our urban environments can increase the quality of life, designing cities and buildings as double ecosystems that are both ecologically and economically profitable. In our work process, we put great focus on the necessary details in order to realize the BIG idea.

Use of this Website is subject to the terms of this disclaimer and by using the Website, you agree to these terms. Silverstein Properties, Inc. The Trade Center complex was so big, it had its own zip code. But some of the same impressive architectural elements may have also helped worsen the tragedy on the fateful morning of September 11, These facts and figures offer some perspective on the engineering and architectural feats that made the Twin Towers possible.

David Rockefeller, grandson of the first billionaire in the U. By , city, state and business leaders came on board. They broke ground in Two or three stories went up weekly. The ambitious project overcame community opposition, design and construction setbacks, attempted sabotage by New York real estate rivals and major engineering challenges to open its doors in April while still under construction. The towers were completed in The towers' design featured a distinctive steel-cage exterior consisting of 59 precise, narrowly spaced slender steel columns per side.

An architect's model of the proposed World Trade Center, c. Project managers faced cost overruns as safety, wind and fire tests were conducted. And engineers embraced or created innovative construction techniques and new technologies to make the towers lighter and taller.