Follow the Glass up One World Trade Center

The glass portion of the design and construction of One World Trade Center in Manhattan saw its fair share of controversy, something USGlass magazine covered extensively during the project. But now that the shiny structure is standing tall and can be admired upon completion, one Brooklyn, N.Y.-based photographer has enabled us to go back and enjoy the beauty of the construction itself—in motion.

Benjamin Rosamond, a photographer who specializes in architectural, commercial and time-lapse photography, took approximately 30,000 photographs over a three-and-a-half-year period during the construction of One World Trade Center. He then compressed the images into approximately 1,000 images and created a two-minute-long time-lapse video of the tower emerging from the skyline.

“I got the idea as I had a front row seat on the construction both from my apartment and working at the time at World Financial Center,” Rosamond told USGNN.com™. “I wanted to share the view of the construction that I was lucky enough to have.”

As the structure of each level is completed and rises to the next, the top portion of the curtainwall—which was custom fabricated by Benson Industries and incorporates glazing supplied by Viracon— follows its way up the side of the building.

1 World Trade Center Time Lapse – Return of the Lower Manhattan Skyline from Benjamin Rosamond Photography on Vimeo.

Rosamond notes the glass installation as being one of the more enjoyable parts of watching the construction.

“I like the color that is captured in the sunrise shots and the movement of the glass up the building,” says Rosamond. “I was glad to be able to capture the whole thing in HD and share with anyone interested.”

The 104-story One World Trade Center, topped off at 1,776 feet, is the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere. Its vast use of glass and internal design allows for optimal daylighting.

“The tower is an open, welcoming building that both radiates light and is filled with light,” says David Childs, the project’s architect from Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, via wtc.com. “Our design team has achieved our goal of creating a great urban place — a building that serves the people who work in it, welcomes those who visit it, and plays an integral and vibrant role in the city that surrounds it.”