MANY MINDEDGround broken on the final World Trade Center commercial tower
Construction has officially begun on 2 World Trade Center in New York City, the last commercial tower planned for the World Trade Center redevelopment. It will rise to 1,226 ft (373.7 m), placing it in supertall territory, and provide around 2 million sq ft (almost 186,000 sq m) of office space across 55 floors. The building is set to become the new global headquarters of American Express, with capacity for roughly 10,000 staff. Silverstein Properties is developing it, with completion scheduled for 2031.
The design has a long backstory. Foster + Partners was originally chosen, then replaced by the Bjarke Ingels Group, and has now been brought back for the current stepped scheme, which features multiple planted terraces and greenery. Initial groundwork began back in 2008 and the foundations were completed in 2013; the groundbreaking ceremony came earlier in July 2026. The tower sits beside One World Trade Center, the tallest building in the US, alongside 3 World Trade Center and the site's only residential building, 5 World Trade Center. The Port Authority's executive director tied the start to the approaching 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks.
For shelter and space in a dense core, this is a large block of usable floor area finally moving forward, consolidating a major employer downtown, though it adds commercial rather than residential capacity.
The caveats are mostly about time. Completion is not expected until 2031, so the floor space is years away, and the project's history, spanning changes of architect and work that started in 2008, is a reminder that supertall timelines can slip. Watch whether the 2031 target holds.
Source: New Atlas