At 1,776 feet tall, One World Trade Center (WTC) is not only the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere. Its sheer size, geographic constraints, and operational necessities make it easily one of the region’s — if not the nation’s — most complex projects ever built.
In 2004, AECOM Tishman was selected to provide preconstruction and construction management services for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey’s 104-story One World Trade Center. As the builder of the original Twin Towers in 1973, AECOM Tishman has been working at the WTC site since 2001, assisting with the 9/11 clean-up efforts and managing more than 11 million square feet of new construction.
Safety considerations on the nation’s tallest building
We implemented an innovative safety cocoon system, resulting in zero total incidents of significance on the project. The cocoon enveloped 16 floors and rose with the building to protect initial floor trades: steel, concrete, and spray fireproofing. This was the first cocoon on a hybrid steel and concrete building.
Collaboration through BIM
We brought together all of the architects, engineers and subcontractors — including electrical, plumbing, fire and life safety, concrete, and others — into one centralized Building Information Modeling (BIM) command center located in the project field office at 7 WTC. This enabled each subcontractor to add their components to the models as they were created in direct collaboration with the other subcontractors.
All while the world watched
One World Trade Center has won numerous awards, including Engineering News-Record’s 2015 Best of the Best Projects in the Office/Retail/Mixed-Use category.
Through carefully devising solutions for impacted thoroughfares and transit facilities, coordinating with teams on adjacent projects, and efficiently managing the various trades and their nearly 2,000 workers, AECOM Tishman’s vested interest and diligent work on this national icon led to its successful completion – all while the world watched.