Conde Nast, the largest prospective tenant of One World Trade Center, the iconic structure redefining the New York City skyline, will now occupy the building along with the U.S Army and other government agencies.
Scheduled to be completed in early 2014, the highly anticipated tower will have 268,000 square feet occupied by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and the General Service Administration (GSA)—all of whom plan to move into the skyscraper in 2015.
A reported 50 percent of the tower’s space has already been leased, with the largest amount to date being acquired by Conde Nast. The mega mass media company, which produces 18 magazines (including Vogue and The New Yorker) as well as approximately 77 websites and apps, signed on to lease 1.2 million square feet back in 2011. The deal is projected to cost the company $2 billion over the course of the 25-year agreement.
The GSA is ardent about returning to its headquarters in the World Trade Center Complex. GSA Administrator Dan Tangherlini stated in today’s press release: “We are excited to return to the World Trade Center Complex, which federal agencies have been a part of since 1973. From the day that the Port Authority started planning reconstruction, the federal government committed to remaining an important part of this building and the redevelopment of Lower Manhattan.” And Tangherlini added: “Through this lease agreement, these three federal agencies will have the office space they need to serve the American people in providing goods and services, tackling vital infrastructure projects, and protecting our nation’s borders.”
The GSA, an independent agency that works for the United States Government aiding the basic functions of federal agencies, actually began to lease the space a year ago. They didn’t announce until today, however, which federal agencies would return along with them to One World Trade Center.
One World Trade Center has recently made the news for taking the title as the tallest building in the U.S., beating out Chicago’s 1,451-foot Willis Tower on a technicality. The rooftop spire of One World Trade Center, after much contention with The Council on Tall Buildings, was finally counted, bringing its total height to 1,776 feet.
Originally, the argument was made that its 408-foot spire was “functional technical equipment subject to change” like that of a flagpole or antenna and couldn’t be counted in its height. However, the council officially declared the soaring rooftop point indeed a spire, and therefore an element of the architecture.
The soon-to-be-filled, three-million-square-foot skyscraper is owned by the Durst Organization and the Port Authority. It will become the third-tallest building in the world when it is completed in early 2014—a title that will place it right behind the Burj Khalifa in Dubai and the Makkah Royal Clock Tower in Mecca, Saudi Arabia.