I didn’t know that the world trade center blueprints were kept from public view until they were leaked this week. No wonder there’s been so much controversy over whether or not the buildings could have come down by themselves—scientists and engineers didn’t even have the basic facts available for analysis.

Apparently even FEMA got it wrong when they claimed the exterior wall and “possibly central core columns” were “freestanding”. Rather, as Steve Watson points out, they were not freestanding. As shown in the blueprints, there were “large horizontal beams [that] cross-connected the core columns in a three-dimensional matrix of steel.” Since civil engineering isn’t my area of expertise, it would be helpful to have an architect look over these.

That these blueprints had to be “leaked” to the public begs the question, “Why were they hidden in the first place?” I’m sure the copyright is held by someone (the Port of New York Authority?), but in such important considerations as this, you would think copyright would be a lesser priority. And I can’t believe that the details of a now non-existent structure pose a national security risk—are we afraid the bad guys will try to rebuild the towers per the exact specifications?

Rather than veil facts such as these in secrecy, it seems to me that far more good can come from using these blueprints to understand and reconstruct what happened on September 11th. If only my policy of transparency had influence in some sphere outside of my own thoughts and actions :)