I recall seeing a documentary about the way the towers were built-unlike the Empire State Building (a massive frame of steel girders with interior columns), the WTC towers were built like an airplane wing:the exterior walls carried the load. The walls were held together by the floor joists of the interior floors.
Thus, when the airplanes detroyed the walls, the floor beams pulled the walls down.
Had the airplanes hit a building like the ESB, this would not have happened-the vertical columns would have held the structure together.
Which raise my question: the ESB (as long as the basement piers are kept from rusting) should have an indefinite life. But a building like the WTC might well become unsafe, as corrosion of the walls and joists took place.
Would a building like the WTC become unsafe, after, say 100 years?
I am not an expert in this matter but I do understand some of it: You have probably noticed that the girders used in building are often ‘pre-rusted’. This actually acts as a layer of defense against further oxidation - its kind of like controlling mold by cutting off its food supply. This works for most cases but if a column or joint had water dripping on it constantly it would be an issue. That sort of thing doesn’t happen too often in a maintained building though.
I’m pretty the ESB has been featured on one of those Life After People shows.
It don’t last forever.
As to why it’s inadvisable to rebuild the towers just as they were:
First, they weren’t particularly loved or well-regarded as buildings when they were there, so duplicating them out of spite would just to be to, well, duplicate them out of spite. Second, the new structure is going to be an obvious target as it is, but if you rebuilt the damn towers you may as well include a bulls-eye mural in your plans. You could probably find tenants, but the site would likely be uninsurable.
You say that like it was a bad thing.
Interesting, I hadn’t heard this. What have they found?
Underinsured, actually. He lost billions.
On preview: I see Marley is discouraging replies to Mozart but, this being about the buildings and the owner as opposed to the conspiracy theory du jour, I assume it’s okay.
WTC3, 4, 5 and 6 got taken out, too. Why do 1, 2 and 7 get all the press?
18th century ship, used as landfill. In very good shape despite that. Also a lot of shoes, if memory serves.
As did a Greek Orthodox church across the street from 2.
Which also has not yet been rebuilt.
This is an excellent topic, though it is a strange attractor, so to speak.
I wonder if the current design will be notable enough on the skyline to become as much of a signature as the WTC towers were.
I have seen the NYC skyline before and after, and the difference is notable. After all, most people on Terra never make it to The City, and the skyline is a very important visual image to tag NYC in most folks’ minds.
An asymmetric design like this: Future WTC Image for the taller building is somewhat reminiscent of the Statue of Liberty but not so much that everyone who sees it says, “Hey, wait! We just saw that!”
It won’t replace the giant tuning fork look that I came to expect, but all things change.
It is?
I am offended that you forgot to call us sheeple. Baaaaahhh!
That’s the idea, yes. The spire on the tower is intended to sort of echo the torch on the Statue of Liberty. You can sort of see it in this rendering. Whether you think it works is another matter.
Ah.
Thanks.
This is kind of tangential to the thread topic, but Joe Nocera writes in the New York Times that the cost and economics of the new One World Trade Center don’t add up, especially in the current real estate market.
UFO’s. Area 51. Aliens.
Name one that’s ever been proven completely wrong.
Maybe the Moon landings, but that’s about it.
Besides, I never said “wild” which is subjective, but conspiricies in general. They happen all the time. If two 8 year old boys hatch a plan to steal candy bars from the local 7-11, it’s a CONSPIRACY.
Watergate was a CONSPIRACY and it was proven that the break-ins and subsiquent cover-ups HAPPENED. People went to prison. Nixon resigned because he was too much of a coward to face the consequenses of his actions.
The Murrow building bombings in Oklahoma City were a CONSPIRACY. More than one person was involved.
Hell, even the government’s story of 9-11 involved conspiracy. One guy didn’t plan, finance, arrange for tickets and certainly fly all four planes right?
How many more examples of proven conspiracies do you want?
There are conspiracies (my dad and I conspired to give my mom a surprise party) and “wild conspiracy theories”, where people think the Post Office brought down the World Trade Center and that little green men shot JFK and, and here’s the requirement, somebody covered it up.