One World Trade Center Reaches Full Height

Installation of the silver spire on top of the One World Trade Center is now complete, making the new building in New York the tallest in the Western Hemisphere.

After pieces of the installation were transported to its roof the week before, the hoisting of the spire and subsequent completion of the installation was met with applause by workers watching from the ground last Friday.

Serving as a world class broadcast antenna, the spire weighs 758 tonnes and stands 408 feet tall.

Strong enough to be seen from miles away, a LED-powered light at the top will ward off aircraft.

While proud of the accomplishment, workers expressed mixed emotions as the latest construction milestone was reached.

“[We’re] happy obviously that it’s done, [and} proud to be part of it [but] sad thinking about why we had to rebuild this,” one construction worker interviewed by Reuters said.

The building’s claim to be America’s tallest is somewhat controversial as some experts say the spire is merely an antenna and should therefore not be counted as part of the building for the purposes of measuring its height.

The distinction is crucial as a spire is considered to be part of the building for the purpose of measuring its height whereas an antenna is not.

The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat, a leading authority on tall building considerations, considers an antenna to be a removable object which is simply added to the top of the building, whereas a spire is an actual part of a building’s architectural design.

Were it not for the spire’s inclusion, the building would be shorter than the 1,451 foot Wills Tower in Chicago.

With the spire included, the new tower stands at 1,776 feet – symbolic of the US declaration of independence in 1776.

The new tower is slated to open for business in 2014.

By Andrew Heaton

Top Image: Earthcam Via Arch Daily