The heavy, solid base tended to make the building seem imposing, so Childs gave it a sparkling facade. He wanted to use prismatic glass, but the material is difficult to manufacture.
Base of 1 WTC
Lower Section of "Freedom Tower"
Architect David Childs gave One World Trade Center a sturdy, bomb-proof base that rises nearly 200-feet high.
This model shows the base of One World Trade Center at night
Image Courtesy Silverstein Properties Inc (SPI) © Skidmore Owings & Merrill LLPReaders Respond: What's Your Vision for New York?
Rebuilding New York
Designing Freedom TowerReconstruction Timeline1 WTC Project Updates
September 11, 2001
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