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Back in business: the World Trade Center re-opens
After 13 years and nearly $4bn, the tallest and 'safest' skyscraper in America is finally occupied
Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.
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"Considering what went on here 13 years ago, it was very tragic, but we are going forward and I think it’s wonderful to have this opportunity to work in the biggest building in the western hemisphere," one employee told the Wall Street Journal.
The 1,776-foot gleaming skyscraper cost $3.9 billion to build and while disagreements over cost, design, security began almost immediately, there now appears to be widespread approval for the simple and symbolic structure.
The building’s architect, David Childs said he wanted the building to be a real "marker" for the city, "like a lighthouse at the end of an island."
With an observation deck on the 102nd floor opening soon to the public, the building's developers hope it will also attract more tourists to Lower Manhattan.
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In terms of safety, Foye describes the skyscraper as "the most secure office building in America." It is built with steel-reinforced concrete and its overall security provisions were jointly devised by local, state and federal law enforcement agencies.
"I’m an engineer and I can add numbers and tell you 'tallest, strongest' and all this stuff," Steve Plate, who has overseen the project since the beginning, told ABC news. "But at the end of the day, it’s the most beautiful building in the most beautiful city in the most beautiful region in the world."
