The Pentagon is a pentagonal structure. It is the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense. This is the largest office building in the world. In addition, it is the most secure military facility in the United States. Where is the Pentagon in America? The building is located near the US capital, the city of Washington (Virginia).
Reasons for the construction
In the 30s of the twentieth century in the United States, the question arose of connecting all seventeen military departments spread throughout the country under one roof. For a long time, the question was postponed until America, drawn into the Second World War, realized that this task should be carried out as soon as possible. War ministers asked President F. Roosevelt to allocate space and money for the construction of the building. Directions were given to complete the construction of the Pentagon as soon as possible. However, during the construction of the structure, it was necessary to minimize costs, minimizing them.
Pentagon Construction
The construction of the office building was begun on September 11, 1941. The project was led by General Brehon Somerwell and Colonel Leslie Groves. Already on January 15, 1943 the building was commissioned. It functions in our time. The Pentagon was erected in just 16 months. During construction, only concrete, sand and metal structures were used. The Pentagon is an innovative building for its century. In addition, it is worth noting the budget. According to some reports, about $ 80 million was spent on the construction of the largest office branch.
Building features
The headquarters has an interesting architectural form. This is a pentagon constructed by all geometric rules. All sides of the building are equal, each has a length of 281 meters. Thanks to this, the correct figure was obtained. This is especially noticeable when viewed from a bird's eye view of the Pentagon. This construction covers an area of 116 thousand square meters. m. Inside the building there is a courtyard. Its area is 21 thousand square meters. m. The courtyard is covered with a lawn, which, like the building itself, has a pentagonal shape. There is a version that the people call it Ground zero (“epicenter”). Where did such associations come from? Allegedly, this place has received its “nickname” since the Cold War between the USA and Russia, as it was intended for guiding nuclear missiles.
The Pentagon - the headquarters of the US Department of Defense - is a seven-story building. Only five tiers are external, two are underground. All of them have the shape of a concentric rectangle, connected by interconnecting corridors, of which there are only 11. Their total length reaches almost 30 km. It is believed that thanks to such an architectural solution, from anywhere in the building to another you can get by spending only 7 minutes. The height of the headquarters is 23.5 meters. Currently, a lot of people work here - about 26 thousand, among them there are civilian employees and military personnel.
Facades
The Pentagon is a building that has a facade on each side. In the northern part is a shopping gallery. This facade is used for meetings or formal occasions. South is a parking lot. The third has a helipad. The remaining facades have access to the metro station and the shopping arcade. The so-called commercial facade has many shops, cafes and banks, designed to serve Pentagon employees.
Catastrophe
During the armed unrest in the United States, the Pentagon building was also damaged. This happened on September 11, 2001. One of the captured airliners crashed into the facade. As a result, a fire broke out, workers died. The restoration of this wing lasted more than a year. At the site of the crash, a memorial to the fallen Americans is installed.