... South Tower was completed in 1973 and stood 1,362 feet high (Avery). Since the 19th century, conventional skyscrapers were typically built with a skeleton of interior support columns equally spaced throughout the structure, minimizing the area of leased office space. The exterior walls did not carry any load-bearing weight. However, the construction of the North and South Towers repositioned support columns to maximize rental space. The exterior walls of the Twin Towers were structurally designed as the load-bearing walls, which supports the weight of the floors. The only other structural columns found in the interior of the Towers were located at the interior core. The exterior walls not only support the weight of the floors, the outer walls also withstand strong winds and carry the vertical loads. "The wall consists of closely spaced vertical columns (21 columns 10 feet apart) tied together by horizontal spandrel beams that girdle the ...

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