The first facade panel going up (photo by Joe Woolhead)

On the west side of 4 World Trade Center (WTC), the first glass façade panels were installed on April 25th and are now continuing up the building. The façade work marks a new milestone in construction of the 72-story tower, whose curtain wall is designed “to achieve a matte metallic quality with a luminous sheen,” according to developer Silverstein Properties.

The glass itself is fabricated by Viracon in Minnesota, and is made into complete panels by Benson Global, the Oregon-based company manufacturing the curtain walls for both 4 and 1 WTC. The Tower 4 façade includes 11,000 glass panels, half of which are already completed are now being shipped to the site. Architect Fumihiko Maki and other team members already viewed panel samples in summer 2009, when a “mock-up” was constructed at the MetFab plant in New Jersey.

The future 2.5 million-square-foot tower’s steel frame is now up to the 23rd floor, with concrete, masonry, and elevator work continuing as the structure rises. The completed tower will be home to a 47-foot-tall lobby that faces the National 9/11 Memorial, enclosed by 20 large glass panels. The tower is projected to open in late 2013.

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