Freedom Tower Will Highlight The New York Skyline

Construction has begun on the Freedom Tower in Lower Manhattan in New York City. The Freedom Tower will be built to attain a height of 1776 feet and would be the tallest building in the world if it was completed today. The Tower is the centerpiece of the new World Trade Center complex and is scheduled for completion in the year 2010.

The tower will have a cubic base that is designed for safety from car or truck bombs. The base will be covered in thirteen foot tall glass prisms that will refract light into color. This will make the cubic base more interesting to the naked eye. The concern for safety also is incorporated into the vertical core which will run through the center of the building. The core will contain many of the structure's essential safety systems. It will have 3 foot thick walls made from extra-strong concrete. The core will also contain emergency communication cables, exhaust and ventilation shafts, water pipes, and stairs and lifts to enter or exit the building. Overall, the unique architectural design of the Freedom Tower will make it look like it twists as it get higher.

The new Freedom Tower will honor the Twin Towers in several ways. The base of the Freedom Tower will be two hundred feet square. Two hundred square feet was the exact dimension of the original towers. The observation deck will be at 1,362 feet, the height of World Trade Center Tower Two. The glass parapet will be at 1,368 feet, the height of World Trade Center Tower One. A spire will emit an intense beam of light at night that will be visible over a thousand feet into the air above the tower. The light will represent a beacon of freedom in the night sky over New York City.