3 things you might not know about 1 WTC

Metro spoke with Steven Plate, One World Trade Center’s construction director, to find out more about the logistics of building lower Manhattan’s symbolic tower. Here’s what he told us:

​​​​ 1. The white marble in the tower’s lobby, white carrara, was sourced and mined from the same northern Italy mountain region as the marble used in the original World Trade Center, as well as Michelangelo’s “David.”

2. The tower is Leed Gold certified by the U.S. Green Building Council. Plate said the building doesn’t just use energy, but converts used energy into electricity and feeds it back into the grid. Some 90 percent of the occupied spaces use natural light, and all storm water is recycled. “It’s (the tower) saving the environment,” Plate said.

3. The building knows who you are, and where you’re going. Plate said the turnstile technology is so advanced, that when an employee swipes in, they don’t have to push a button on the elevator to go to their floor. “The old days of pushing a button are over,” Plate said.

Plate also said there was a “new story” during everyday of construction at One World Trade Center, and that workers brave sub zero and over 100 degree days to finish the work.