One World Trade Center Named Tallest Building In The US
One World Trade Center is officially the tallest building in the United States. The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat spent hours comparing Chicago’s Willis Tower with New York’s new World Trade Center. On Tuesday morning, the council announced that One World Trade Center is the nation’s tallest building.
The decision came down to the difference between a needles and antenna. According to the council, antenna are add-ons, which are not considered part of the structure. However, needles are considered part of the building, and can be used to calculate height.
As reported by USA Today, recent changes to the World Trade Center’s needle brought the official height to 1,776 feet tall. In comparison, Chicago’s Willis Tower is 1,450 feet tall.
Formerly known as the Sears Tower, the Willis Tower debuted in 1974. It is currently ranked the ninth tallest building in the world and the tallest in the United States. However, today’s announcement will shift the rankings.
The iconic skyscraper has an occupied height of 1,354 feet, with 108 floors above ground and three below. The building has 104 elevators, with a top speed of 8.1 meters per second. Skyscraper Center reports that the building was designed by Skidmore Owings & Merrill. The steel building is used for office space.
One World Trade Center is currently under construction. However, a majority of the structure is complete. The building, which will debut in 2014, has an occupied height of 1,268 feet, with 94 floors above ground and five floors below. The building has a total of 71 elevators with a top speed of 10.16 meters per second. The office building was designed by Skidmore Owings & Merrill and is constructed with composite materials.
Both buildings have observatories, which offer spectacular views of the surrounding cities. While they are both magnificent buildings, One World Trade Center is officially the tallest building in the US.
[Images via Fotopedia]
