The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) has named the iconic One World Trade Centre, forged from ArcelorMittal Luxembourgish steel, the best tall building on the American continent.

Construction on the 541.3 metre high structure began in April 2006, using more than 12,500 tonnes of  HISTAR® beams and columns produced in Luxembourg, with its height in feet (1776) designed as a deliberate reference to the year of the signature of the United States Declaration of Independence. In April 2012, the building became the tallest structure in New York City.

The strong sustainability and aesthetic credentials of the Centre, also known as the Freedom Tower, were found to have earned it high scores in four judgement criteria by CTBUH, including impact on inhabitants and their quality of life; relevance to the needs of the community; and economic vitality to the occupants, owner, and community.

The winner for the 'Best Tall Building Worldwide' award, also selected by CTBUH, will be selected in Chicago this 12 November. The One World Trade Centre will be in the running for the accolade alongside three other regional winners,  including CapitaGreen in Asia and Australasia, Bosco Verticale in Europe, and Burj Mohammed Bin Rashid Tower in the Middle East and Africa region.

ArcelorMittal claimed that the presence of its HISTAR® beams in the structure were a significant contributing factor in the tower's sustainability credentials, with high material efficiency steel and hot-rolled sections constituting the most recycled building material in the world. HISTAR® also reportedly met the requirement of the building's designers for lightweighted and economical structures. Hot-rolled H-beams in HISTAR® grades apparently enable the construction of innovative and competitive structures, making them highly-suited for high-rise buildings.

One World Trade Center’s so-called “Freedom beams” are made out of HISTAR® grade 65 steel and measure 9-17 metres, weighing up to 1.1 tonnes per metre. They were produced at the Differdange branch of ArcelorMittal– the only steel mill in the world able to produce these beams.
 
Burj Khalifa – another building made with ArcelorMittal steel beams – was awarded “Best Tall Building Middle East & Africa” in 2010, and went onto receive CTBUH’s “Global Icon” award.

 

Photo by ArcelorMittal