Justice, or at least a measure of justice, was finally achieved last night with the death of the 9/11 mastermind Osama bin Laden.  As former President George Bush said this momentous act “marks a victory for America, for people who seek peace around the world, and for all those who lost loved ones on September, 11, 2001”.

In honor of the occasion of Osama bin Laden’s death let’s take a look at the replacement for the Twin Towers known as The Freedom Tower or rather One World Trade Center being reconstructed at ground zero. Now that justice was finally served the Freedom Tower can become a genuine monument, a rehabilitation for those hurt by the schemes of Osama bin Laden and the al-Qaeda. The Freedom Tower will be a way to cure the scar on our nation. Now that we took down the terrorists we need to focus on rebuilding what they took away. This tower represents new growth, an integral part of the healing process. The Freedom Tower is one of several building which will make up the new 16-acre World Trade Center. The design is officially known as Memory Foundations since it leaves room for several memorial foundations including The National September 11 Memorial and Museum.

Some interesting facts about the design of One World Trade Center:

–    The height to the roof is 1,368 feet- the same as the old 1 Twin Tower
–    The height to the tip of the spire is 1,776 feet- the year the Declaration of Independence was created and ratified.
–    On July Fourth, 2004 a 20-ton granite slab was used as the cornerstone of the project. It is inscribed with the words “To honor and remember those who lost their lives on September 11, 2001 and as a tribute to the enduring spirit of freedom. – July Fourth, 2004.”
–    The “Victim Memorial” includes a memorial hall between the reflecting pools which marks the footprints of the former World Trade Center. It also includes a grove of oak trees with a clearing for memorial services, and public access to the stumps of the columns that once held the Twin Towers aloft.
–    The Freedom tower has 2,600,000 square feet of office floor space as well as an observation deck, restaurants, parking and broadcast facilities.
–    On December 17, 2006 a ceremony was held in battery Park where the public was invited to sign a 30-foot beam which was the first installed into the tower.

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The tower appears to twist as it gets higher.  The building’s faces will be huge triangles that taper toward the top and the bottom. At the center of the building, they will form an octagon.

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The base of the tower is square for safety purposes. It will appear to be all glass but in reality the 186-foot-tall base will be a concrete wall made to absorb and deflect the impact of a truck bomb. It will be covered in more than 2,000 glass prisms and welded aluminum screens covered in plastic like automobile safety glass which would help absorb the shock. The prisms will refract color and hopefully make the colossal security measure an eye-pleasing curiosity. The corners of the base are tapered with ground level reflecting pools.

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When completed the One World Trade Center will be the tallest building in The United States and one of the tallest in the world. The new tower is symmetrical as opposed to the old one which was strongly criticized due to its asymmetry.

As of 2008 the tower is expected to be completed by the end of 2013 at an estimated cost of $3.1 billion. Today the building has reached 67 stories and the site is now swamped with people celebrating the death of Osama bin Laden.