What #9/11 means to me. What does it mean to you?
9/11 has not been far from the news this week. But what does it mean to you?
I was in London on the day itself running a product launch for Marshalls at Tower 42 in the morning before going to a meeting with WSP close to Heathrow in the afternoon. Being in London was tense, especially travelling on the underground, but it was nothing compared to what was happening that morning in New York. Even so, the real impact of the attacks did not fully hit me until I talked to people in New York three days later through my work for WSP.
WSP had recently acquired the engineering consultants and experts in high rise buildings, Cantor Seinuk. Based in New York they had been involved in many of the city’s skrscrapers including buildings adjacent to the World Trade Center. I felt very strongly that WSP had not just an opportunity for raising its profile, but a duty to make sure its expertise in tall buildings was at the centre of the discussion as to why the Twin Towers collapsed after the terror attacks.
The senior management in the UK were not convinced initially, but saw the benefit of becoming involved. I believed that WSP could make a positive contribution to the discussion, they agreed and I planned a call to the WSP Cantor Seinuk office – aiming to talk to Dr. Ahmad Rahimian its CEO. I was nervous at calling New York to do the necessary research on behalf of Building magazine, but the people I spoke to could not have been more gracious, dignified and brave. They understood the reason for the call, they appreciated my sympathy and kind words although they didn’t need it. The facts about the collaps of the Twin Towers were discussed and relayed to Building magazine – but it was the overall warmth and dignity of the conversation that impressed me.
I didn’t visit New York until three years later. I only knew the city from TV, books and films and that single conversation with two people at Cantor Seinuk. Hearing voices on the radio; reading discussion in the newspapers this week about that terrible event and the immediate days afterwards reminded me of my call and of the huge respect I have for those people.
Tags: 9/11, Building, Cantor Seinuk, New York, Twin Towers, WSP