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Well, building something like this would make a dent in the GNP anyway, so you'd might as well do it right and build it of Titanium :-). I'd actually be curious to know how much it would add to costs; probably not as much as one might think since Titanium is stronger than steel.

I own an Apple Titanium G4 computer; it's reassuring to note that the titanium in it would survive this fire even if the plastics that make up the bulk of the machine wouldn't :-(.

For what it's worth, I was amazed at how similar the collapse was to photographs of controlled demolition; that was exactly the thought that crossed my mind when I saw the pictures. However, I don't think there was any reason for the terrorists to do that; the building would clearly not be safe to occupy after the fires, and the image of two 110 story dead hulks would, if anything, create a more dramatic impact on the city.

It is my opinion that the controlled demolition effect may have even been unintentional; they knew they would mortally wound the structures for the purpose of human habitation simply through the fire, and there would really be no point in going any further.