ABSTRACT
The world knows what happened in Lower Manhattan on September 11, 2001. The twin towers of the World Trade Center and numerous surrounding buildings were damaged or destroyed, and more than 2,800 people were killed. The ground smoldered for months. Rescue was replaced by recovery, and there followed eight months of removing thousands of tons of debris from what became known as Ground Zero. What most people do not realize is that reconstruction of the 6.5-hectare (16-acre) site actually began during the cleanup, with initial work beginning below grade and on adjacent sites, and therefore out of sight.
