Yes, the floor to floor hight is 13' 4" for the office levels, that is typical for high rise office buildings.

One floor a week is actually quite good in this day and age.

You are correct, Tower One is overbuilt and meets or exceeds even the tough new NYC building codes adopted after 9/11.

As a side note, I think my wife and I have single handedly educated the entire country of Greece about the great progress at the WTC site. (Sometimes it seems that way. My wife is half Greek and we visit at least once a year.)

2-Towers, I would be happy to help.

yup exactly the same here, im from saskatoon, saskatchewan, canada, doing schooling to become a carpenter, i tell a lotta ppl about this site, and they just say to 'really' its like wow u didnt even know that, they all think its a whole in the ground too, kinda sad really

What floor is the Ob deck located ?

102nd floor, 1,266' 8".

BTW, the pics of the prints, originally posted by me, I have a full set.

When it passes 1500 feet let's see
if anyone then will say hole in the ground!.

technically theres still the entire east bathtub, and to be extremely technical, the pools are still holes in the ground. But that's just me being a smartass. :tup:

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4108/...d6e458fd_o.jpg

^Strategic seagull...

From that angle, visually about the height of WTC 1v2 will appear just above the communication ring and approximately a half way to the top of the Spire.

I said "APPROXIMATELY".

:D

today

http://i810.photobucket.com/albums/z...k/DSCN5208.jpg

http://i810.photobucket.com/albums/z...k/DSCN5214.jpg

http://i810.photobucket.com/albums/z...k/DSCN5203.jpg

http://i810.photobucket.com/albums/z...k/DSCN5204.jpg

http://i810.photobucket.com/albums/z...k/DSCN5205.jpg

http://i810.photobucket.com/albums/z...k/DSCN5207.jpg

http://i810.photobucket.com/albums/z...k/DSCN5210.jpg

http://i810.photobucket.com/albums/z...k/DSCN5211.jpg

http://i810.photobucket.com/albums/z...k/DSCN5213.jpg

http://i810.photobucket.com/albums/z...k/DSCN5219.jpg

http://i810.photobucket.com/albums/z...k/DSCN5220.jpg

http://i810.photobucket.com/albums/z...k/DSCN5222.jpg

http://i810.photobucket.com/albums/z...k/DSCN5223.jpg

http://i810.photobucket.com/albums/z...k/DSCN5221.jpg

http://i810.photobucket.com/albums/z...k/DSCN5215.jpg

http://i810.photobucket.com/albums/z...k/DSCN5222.jpg

http://i810.photobucket.com/albums/z...k/DSCN5223.jpg

Those close shots realy show details you normaly don't see. Great stuff.

I always assumed the terms "girders" and "beams" described their functions, not how they were made. But I guess that's more of a structural engineering POV, not a steel construction POV.

That said, the largest girders are usually built up from plates, as I'm sure you are well aware, because the rolling of such large shapes is difficult and creates too many thermal stresses.

It's steel construction with a concrete core. I think, the best way to build highrise buildings. There is no doubt, One WTC will be the safest skyscraper on earth.

When completed, 1 WTC will likely become one of the biggest terrorist targets in the world, so "safest" is most certainly not the right word to use. However, it may be one of the most fortified skyscrapers in the event of another attack, but still, it is in no way, shape, or form invisibly unsinkable, so to speak. I love this building too, but let's not let that blind us from the unfortunate realities of our time.

well all things considered i have to give it to the engineers and architects they have achieved quite a durable design. i mean more steel than the Eiffel tower in the base alone? i dont recall any building ever constructed or proposed that had all the security capabilities of 1 WTC so yes i will have to agree with OneWorldTradeCenter and say that this structure will be the "safest" ever constructed. sure its not invincible but will have a much better chance at standing in the event of attack than any other tower.

sirgious

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4130/...0dd7c0b2_b.jpg

a cool graphic (posted by HK999, SSC), which shows how flat the lower manhattan skyline actually is:

we need those WTC towers badly! :cheers:

Thanks for chiming in Zensteeldude & dcahn... So in "modern" engineering jargon, does "rolled" mean fabricated in one piece vs. built up of individual plates?

And do girders generally support beams?

I know all this somewhat OT, but I appreciate everyone's patience. The engineering stuff fascinates me!

Thnx

Does anyone know when they're going to start cladding the building? Is there any specific floor they're waiting to finish before they start?

Good question. Our man Zensteeldude has been on point when it comes to steel erection. I guess we just need Zenglassdude to step up to the bat on that one.





























lame pun, I know, sorry

One would assume, but I suspect that 1 WTC will be a low-priority target, if at all. Though symbolically a replacement for the Twin Towers, it will lack their iconic value; there will be few financial tenants to speak of, and it rises in an age when supertall structures are more globally proliferate (and mostly non-Western). Such was not the case in the late '80s, when the Towers -- mighty ivory citadels of imperialism -- first caught al-Qaeda's imagination.

Being so heavily fortified, 1 WTC will also lack practical vulnerabilities that are (relatively) easy to exploit. To seriously damage it would require more money, planning and matériel than the target is finally worth. Al-Qaeda is many things, but not un-pragmatic.

;)