Yesterday marked the 15 Anniversary of the terrorist attacks on New York's World Trade Centers on September 11, 2001. The attacks left a noticeable hole in the New York skyline for several years after the Twin Towers collapsed, but that hole has since been filled with a new and symbolic tower, the One World Trade Center.
On July 4, 2004, obvious nod to America’s Independence Day, a symbolic cornerstone was laid on the country’s soon-to-be tallest building and current 6th tallest in the world. Foundation work, however didn’t get started until 2006, after several issues involving money, security, and design were ironed out. The cornerstone laying ceremony was not the only reference to America’s Independence, either, as the final architectural height of the finished building is 1,776 feet tall, which is the year the Declaration of Independence was signed.
Officially opened to the public in 2014, the One World Trade Center now stands as a symbol of America’s resilience and pride, as well as a memorial to all the men and women who lost their lives, after sustaining such a horrible tragedy. The 104 story building shares an identical footprint to the original Twin Towers, but exceeds their height by over 400 feet. The new building also incorporated life-safety systems that greatly exceed the requirements of New York City. Some examples include: increased fireproofing on the structural steel, a core that’s encased in by up to 3 feet of reinforced concrete, and redundant sprinkler systems, according to CTBUH.
In 2015, the “One World Observatory” deck was completed, which gives visitors a view of New York City from 1,250 in the air. Throughout the 11 years that the building was under construction, Earth Cam was there to document the progress. You can check out their timelapse video, which is a compilation of hundreds of thousands of pictures, below:
While the One World Trade Center is clearly the center point of re-developed Manhattan site, there have been several other buildings constructed, including the 1,250 foot tall 2 World Trade Center (which you can see in the video, as well), and the 3, 4, and 7 World Trade Centers. The latest structure to be completed on the grounds is the Oculus, a transportation hub for the city and a work of art. Completed in May of 2016, the Oculus is an 800,000 square foot building that connects 11 different subway lines, a rail system, and ferries, among others.
During the construction of Oculus, Earth Cam was also there to capture over a million pictures and turned them into another amazing timelapse video. Check it out below:
While I’ve written a lot about the new Las Vegas Raiders stadium over the past couple of years, that stadium wasn’t the only one to make its NFL debut this season. SoFi Stadium, located in Inglewood, California and the new home to the Los Angeles Rams and the Los Angeles Chargers, officially held its ribbon cutting ceremony on September 8 of this year, but, as well all know, it’s not real until the timelapse video is released.