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Architect David Childs lost a colleague in the attacks of Sept. 11, a calamity he watched unfold from his office nearby. Mr. Childs, tapped almost two years later to design the signature skyscraper at the new World Trade Center, had that memory always in his mind as he grappled with a conundrum that has bedeviled construction professionals over the past decade: how to build an office tower that is safe and secure yet doesn't look and feel like a bunker, and that is economically viable.
"It had to be a proud gesture to our resilience," said Mr. Childs, a consulting design partner at Skidmore Owings & Merrill. "It had to be a great place to work, and it had to be safe."
One World Trade Center must be worthy of its place on the skyline, and serve as a symbol of the city's rebound from tragedy and as a marker for the nearby memorial. And, given its inevitable allure as a target, the 1,776-foot tower must be among the safest skyscrapers in the United States.
The attacks changed how New York's prominent office towers are designed, built and protected. Police, fire officials and security experts now play a role, working alongside architects, developers and engineers. Together, they have forged a new paradigm for safety that employs both physical and psychological tools.
Though property owners are reluctant to go into detail for fear of providing blueprints to terrorists, some elements of the new normal are plainly visible: 3-foot-high bollards ringing major towers, platoons of security guards and a plethora of cameras and X-ray machines. Others...