Watch the new One World Trade Center get its dizzying spire from a precariously-mounted GoPro camera (VIDEO)

 

 

Earlier this week, the One World Trade Center gained its spire, making it the tallest building in the western hemisphere. The precarious task of attaching this spire, giving it a total height of 1,776 feet, was recorded not only by cameras from below, but also by a GoPro action cam strapped to the spire as it was fastened into place.

If you don't want to watch the entire dizzying process, the spire finally gets bolted into place at around 7:50 in the video below. But if you're not one to be bothered by vertigo, the entire trip is well worth the watch, as it provides an incredible view of Manhattan from above, captured in the GoPro's fisheye lens.

The final section of the spire adds 75 feet to the overall height of the building, and will serve as a broadcast tower on top of the structure. It is capped with a beacon that contains 288 50-watt LED modules that produce a 288,000 lumens. On a clear night, it will be visible from 50 miles away. However, there's been some debate as to the true height of the One WTC, due to whether or not the spire should be considered merely a simple antenna. If that happens, then it won't count towards the overall height of the building, knocking it down to a rather less symbolic 1,368 feet.

You can see more of the installation of the final piece of the spire over at the website of the Port Authority, including a video shot at an angle less likely to induce cold sweat and vertigo.

(via LaughingSquid)