It’s going to be lonely at the top
On May 28, a 408ft spire was fitted to the top of One World Trade Centre (1WTC) in New York. While the developers will tell you it raises the building to a height of 1,776ft (in reference to the year the US declared itself independent from Great Britain), that’s yet to be decided. As plans […]
On May 28, a 408ft spire was fitted to the top of One World Trade Centre (1WTC) in New York. While the developers will tell you it raises the building to a height of 1,776ft (in reference to the year the US declared itself independent from Great Britain), that’s yet to be decided. As plans for an ornamental covering were shelved, it will be up to the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat to decide later this year if the spire counts as part of the building’s structure.
Either way, it’s unlikely to be the owners’ main concern. At $3.9bn, 1WTC is the most expensive skyscraper ever built, but its owners are struggling to find tenants. Similar problems have beset other high-profile developments, including the Shard in London. The most recent office lease for 1WTC was signed two years ago, and the building has since missed out on big deals with media corporation Time Warner and law firm Jones Day. There are a number of major building projects in New York at the moment, and 1WTC may end up a victim of the competition.
