Engineering Ground Zero PBS Nova show tonight

Image: looking to West Street from the World Trade Center site. The 90 West building is in middle right of the photo. Photographer unknown.

Tonight, PBS's Nova program has an episode on the construction of buildings in the place of the destroyed World Trade Center in NYC. Yesterday, a 10 minute piece on the topic ran on the PBS News Hour, "How Has Skyscraper Design Changed Since 9/11?."

A major point is that 90 West Street, across the street from the WTC. The building opened in 1907 so it was better constructed to withstand fire than modern buildings, therefore it survived the fire that engulfed it as a result of the WTC destruction. But the cost of construction of that style and bearing is two times or more the cost of buildings in the present day.

Also see "NOVA turns its scientific spotlight on the rebuilding of ground zero" from the Blair Kamin Chicago Tribune Cityscapes blog.