4 World Trade Center 

In November 2013, 4 World Trade Center became the first tower to open on the original 16-acre World Trade Center site, 12 years after the September 11 attacks. LERA worked closely with the owner, Silverstein Properties, and the design architect, Maki & Associates, to realize their vision of an office tower and retail podium that maintains a quiet, respectful and dignified presence while offering stunning clear views of the cityscape for its occupants.

In order to provide expansive, column-free views, the design called for 80-ft clear main spans and 20-ft to 45-ft cantilevers around the perimeter of the building. The resulting structural solution was born out of a parallel processing approach to optimizing the column composition, column location and spandrel detailing, achieving the long spans and cantilevers without increasing cost. The structurally glazed curtain wall provides further transparency throughout the building, with floor-to-ceiling windows filling every floor with plenty of natural light.

Facing onto the National September 11 Memorial and Museum, 4WTC stands alongside Freedom Tower as a linchpin of the redevelopment of downtown Manhattan. In addition to Class A office space, a 5-story retail and fine dining podium serves as an entrance the new Westfield shopping mall that extends into Santiago Calatrava's Oculus.

The LEED Gold Certified, 4WTC is 977-ft-tall (298-m) with a gross above-grade area of 2.3 million sf (213,700 sm). Below-grade structure was designed for the flood protection of critical systems.

4WTC's understated exterior belies a bustling mixture of state-of-the-art engineering and innovative structural design, recognized by the award of some of the industry's highest honors.

Read more about the design of 4 World Trade Center here.