World Trade Center, New-York

Built in 1966 to 1977 in the heart of lower Manhattan, the twin towers were destroyed in the sight of the international press on 11 September 2001, by a terrorist attack which projected successively two high- jacked planes in the angle of the towers. A true architectural innovation 412 meters high, the two towers’ structure was surprisingly simple. The glass fronts with a light steel lattice were absorbing the winds’ strength so as not to transmit it to the heart. The latter alone was bearing the weight of the towers and its 110 floors, which were each formed by a reinforced concrete plaque of 1.340 square feet (4.020 m2). The spaces were thus open and free of pillars. For their creator, Minoru Yamasaki, the World Trade Center was “a living symbol of man’s devotion to world peace (…) a representation of his trust in humanity, in individual dignity, in cooperation between men.” 35 years later, the towers were attacked as the emblem of the economic power of multinational firms, like the Pentagon and probably the White House. This event, according to numerous analysts, marks ‘the beginning of a new geostrategic era’ in world conflicts.