Best Sports/Entertainment: Contractors Built Tourist Site at the Top of One World Trade Center
he One World Observatory is a 90,000-sq-ft tourist area located at the top of One World Trade Center and features educational, dining and retail attractions. A complicated design/build project, the high profile job was the result of collaboration between several different companies, including two design firms, the construction group, the client and several engineering groups. Given the significance of the location, the team was dedicated to creating an atmosphere that was respectful of the site’s past while also looking toward the future of the new structure.
While the observatory sits 1,500 ft in the air, the path begins in the lobby with an interactive feature called Voices of the Building that details the history of One WTC and personal stories told by the builders and designers. Another section displays Manhattan’s bedrock while the elevators play an animated video of Manhattan’s history on three sides of the cabins. This is followed by a dramatic See Forever Theater presentation about New York City that leads up to the unveiling of the windows on the 102nd floor.