The Final State of the Union
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Summary:
The beam signed by President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama during their visit to the World Trade Center site on June 14th is among the final beams added to the 104-story building.
Today, the beam signed by President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama during their visit to the World Trade Center site on June 14th was installed in One World Trade Center – it’s among the final beams added to the 104-story building.
During their visit earlier this summer, the President toured the rising skyscraper, greeted construction workers and signed the steel beam. In red marker, the President wrote: "We remember. We rebuild. We come back stronger!"
President Barack Obama signs one of the final steel beams that will be installed as part of the framework of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey’s One World Trade Center site in New York, N.Y., June 14, 2012. First Lady Michelle Obama, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg also signed the beam. (Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)
The beam signed by President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama is installed at One World Trade Center in New York, N.Y., August 2, 2012. (The Port Authority of NY & NJ)
On April 30, 2012, One World Trade Center surpassed the Empire State Building to become the tallest skyscraper in New York City at 1,271 feet above street level. Today, One World Trade Center steel is at 1,368 feet, the height of the original World Trade Center. When One World Trade Center is completed, its spire will rise to 1,776 feet, making it the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere.
To get to its present height, construction workers, laboring high above the city through snow, rain and heat have installed 43,000 tons of steel and nearly 200,000 cubic yards of concrete—enough for a four-foot-wide sidewalk from New York to Chicago. The building will contain 1 million square feet of glass facade, enough to cover 20 NFL football fields.
With more than one and a half years remaining before workers complete One World Trade Center, the 3 million square foot tower is already more than 55 percent leased. The building will serve as the headquarters of Conde Nast, a world-class publisher, which has leased more than 1.2 million square feet covering 25 floors. An additional 190,000 square feet has been leased by Vantone China Center and the federal General Services Administration just last month leased 270,000 square feet.
One World Trade Center aims to be one of the most sustainable office buildings of its size and achieve LEED Gold certification standards. These standards will result in lower energy expenses, lower operating expenses, access to natural light through floor to ceiling glass windows and highly filtered air. The building will feature an iconic Observation Deck at the top of the building that will provide visitors with unrivaled views of New York City, the Statue of Liberty, the Brooklyn Bridge and the Hudson and East River waterfronts.
The Durst Organization, one of the most highly respected developers in the real estate industry, manages One World Trade Center.
Visit WTCProgress.com and follow @WTCProgress on Twitter for updates on building progress.
