Tower 1 of the World Trade Center was originally supposed to be the most important building of the complex: this role was entrusted to it by the author of the master plan, Daniel Libeskind. Since the restoration of the Manhattan site on the site of the twin towers destroyed by the terrorist attack on September 11, 2001 was of great political and psychological importance, "Building No. 1" was named "Freedom Tower" and the symbolic height of 1776 feet (541 m), which was reminiscent of 1776- m - the year when the US Declaration of Independence was adopted.
But in the years since 2003, when Libeskind won the architectural competition, rebuilding the WTC has become a more utilitarian task than planned. Spiraling
the ensemble of sculpture towers was replaced by quite ordinary, albeit high-quality projects by Foster, Rogers, Mackie (his tower is already ready), and skyscraper # 1 lost its name "Freedom Tower" and also became much less "artistic" during the work on the Skidmore bureau project, Owings & Merrill and its lead architect David Childs. Safety requirements (the lower part of the building must be explosion-proof) and considerations of benefit: like other WTC towers, this is an office building where every foot has its own price.
All that remains of the original idea is a long spire and 1,776 feet, which makes WTC Tower 1 the tallest in the United States and the 4th tallest in the world. It has 104 floors, with 24 reserved by its first occupant, the publishing house Condé Nast, which plans to accommodate all 3,400 of its employees. The skyscraper attracted this tenant with its views and a good layout, but at the moment less than 60% of the area has been leased in the building - despite the status and location of this building.
325,500 m2 of the total area of the skyscraper houses not only offices, but also an observation deck (it will open in spring 2015); in the underground part there are parking, cafes and shops. The plan of the tower, which is square at the base, transforms as the height increases: it turns into an octagon in the middle of the "path" upwards, and at the top it again becomes a square, only displaced 45 degrees relative to the base.
