One World Trade Center: Biography of the Building

Following the success of 2013's Skyscrapers, architectural historian Dupr%C3%A9 chronicles the architectural makeup and construction of One World Trade Center, as well as a visual ode to the structure and its significance. The building, which replaced the Twin Towers destroyed in the 9/11 terrorist attacks, is part cultural artifact, part war memorial, and part fortress. The design and construction of One World Trade Center, led by architecture David Childs, was always about what had been there first. Dupr%C3%A9 dutifully covers the design elements and process, in addition to the construction of Manhattan's tallest tower. She also discusses the surrounding World Trade Center buildings, the National September 11 Memorial and Museum, Liberty Park, and the new transportation hub. She includes numerous statistics throughout ("208,000 cubic yards of concrete went into its making, enough for a sidewalk stretching from New York to Chicago"). The photography is fittingly grand, with full-page spreads devoted to panoramic views of the tower from multiple perspectives as well as the view from the massive observation deck, with key landmarks duly noted. Dupr%C3%A9 properly places the building's awe-inspiring features in the tragic context that led to its design. Color illus. (Apr.)