“As the steel structure neared the height of the former towers, the workers realized they were the first people to see that view since 9/11.”

– Josh Sanburn, TIME

IKG’s Serrated Bar Grating on Top of the World

Rising above the site all Americans know as Ground Zero – the Freedom Tower, or One World Trade Center, is the ultimate sign of America’s resilience in the face of adversity. IKG continues to hold this project as one of our proudest, providing 19,000 sq. ft. of serrated bar grating for walkways, access ports, equipment rooms, antennae landings, and the antennae platform.

Ascending from ground near the North tower ground, just across the street from Ground Zero, stands the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere: The Freedom Tower. Built within its foundation, as well as on the antennae’s base; IKG’s serrated bar grating is at the top of the world. The steel and glass monument stands at a significant 1,716 feet above Lower Manhattan.

Steel and Glass Monument to Resilience

Construction began on April 27, 2006 with plans that were started as soon as 2002. It was one of the most ambitious and difficult construction projects in recent history. Set nearly 200 feet below the main structure is a 20-story, bomb resistant base, which was set on 70 tons of steel shafts and pilings. While digging began in 2006 to construct the support structure, grim discoveries were made from the 9/11 tragedy – a reminder to construction crew the magnitude of the work they were conducting. Yet not all finds left crew members with sadness, a historic 18^th century boat was discovered incased in what was a landfill site that existed in the 1800s in Lower Manhattan.

The Freedom Tower stands nearly 64 feet higher than the North Tower originally stood, thanks to their radio antenna and spires, which add 424 feet from the top floor to the very tip. On November 1, 2014 the first tenants of One World Trade Center began their move into the newly completed building. The entire structure has a total of 78 floors dedicated to office space, while the remaining floors are reserved for mechanical and structural features.

Serrated Steel Grating from IKG

In 2012, IKG^® supplied approximately 19,000 sq. ft. of serrated bar grating for walkways, access ports, equipment rooms, antennae landings, and the antennae platform. The communications platform, the large circular structure at the base of the antennae, consists of three different layers structured with IKG^® bar grating, the top layer reaching an elevation of 1,712’7”. Approximately 133 tons of IKG^® bar grating was produced, totaling upwards of 500 hours in engineering, project management, and manufacturing.

IKG is one of the first grating manufacturers in the nation; and was founded over 100 years ago in New York as Irving Iron Works which provided steel grating for the subway systems in the city. With a wide variety of grating products, IKG’s metal grating can be used in industrial settings, sports arenas, for safety solutions or even unique projects like the 500 Brickell garage. Contact us today at (800)- 324-8417 or fill out our Request a Quote form and a representative will be in touch as soon as possible.