NEW YORK.- Construction is officially underway on the historic Freedom Tower at the World Trade Center site in New York where workers are busily creating the foundations for the record-breaking skyscraper’s superstructure. World Trade Center Developer Larry A. Silverstein and Tishman Construction Corporation Chairman and CEO Daniel R. Tishman, the Tower’s Construction Manager, were joined by a host of elected officials, including New York Governor George E. Pataki, New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine, New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, and New York State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver to mark the momentous occasion.

The Freedom Tower will soar a symbolic 1,776 feet and include 2.6 million square feet of office space, plus tenant amenity spaces, observation decks, world-class restaurants, and broadcast and antennae facilities—all supported by above- and below-grade mechanical infrastructure for the building and its adjacent public spaces. Below-grade shopping and access to the New Jersey PATH and NYC subway trains, as well as to the World Financial Center, will also be provided.

Designed by architect David Childs of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, the Freedom Tower, which will be located on the northwest corner of the World Trade Center site, will house an 80-foot-high public lobby topped by a series of mechanical floors. Together, this area will form the 180-foot-high building base. Office floors will rise above the base to an elevation of 1,120 feet. The tower culminates in an observation deck and glass parapet that marks 1,362 feet and 1,368 feet, respectively—the heights of the original Twin Towers. An antenna supported by a cable structure will bring the final height of the building to 1,776 feet.

“The Freedom Tower will serve as a soaring beacon on the New York skyline and will reaffirm this City’s resilience and resolve,” said Mr. Silverstein, who is developing the Freedom Tower under an agreement with the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey, which will take ownership of the tower when it is completed in 2011. “The start of construction serves as a symbol of hope and a show of true progress.”

“This is an historic day for Lower Manhattan, New York City and the nation,” said Mr. Tishman, whose family has played an important role throughout the history of the World Trade Center. Tishman Construction, then under the direction of John Tishman, built the original Twin Towers, as well as the original 7 World Trade Center. Under the leadership of his son, Dan Tishman, the company has been entrusted by Mr. Silverstein to construct the recently completed 7 World Trade Center as well as the Freedom Tower. “Everyone at Tishman Construction is honored to play a role in constructing what will be one of the most meaningful, innovative and environmentally sustainable skyscrapers ever built,” Dan Tishman added.

Under the direction of Silverstein Properties, the Freedom Tower will incorporate new technologies and methods to maximize efficiency, minimize waste and pollution, and reduce impacts of the development on the surrounding community. The Freedom Tower design team is pursuing unprecedented collaborations with technology and energy leaders to take advantage of the next generation of energy sources, such as cogeneration and fuel cells, as well as both on-site and off-site renewable energy sources such as wind energy.

For one of the Tishman Construction project managers, Brian E. Lyons, his work on the Freedom Tower is very personal. Mr. Lyons, who proposed to his wife on the observation deck of the south tower in 1988, lost his firefighter brother on 9/11. He volunteered in the rescue and recovery effort and stayed to help construct both the temporary PATH station and 7 WTC.

“We all take great pride in every project we are involved with, but working on the Freedom Tower is an emotional experience for me and the other construction workers,” said Mr. Lyons. “There is nothing more important than rebuilding, and we are gratified that we are now on our way.”

Workers are in the process of creating foundation footings for the Freedom Tower. Overseen by Tishman Construction, the contractor, Laquila Group Inc., is preparing to excavate rock prior to constructing the tower foundations, which will consist of concrete spread footings on rock, rock anchors, and mini-caissons.

While this is the first crew doing construction on the site related directly to the building itself, work for the Freedom Tower unofficially started in March with relocation of utility lines between PATH train tracks. Since certain areas of the foundation for the Freedom Tower are to be constructed immediately adjacent to the tracks, it requires the relocation of some track utilities. The types of utility lines that are being moved include high-voltage electrical power lines that feed the third rail and communications wiring that powers track signals and switches. The bulk of this work is occurring overnight and on weekends to avoid disruption of regular commuter train service.