After a decade of construction, the Santiago Calatrava-designed new World Trade Center Oculus transit hub will soon be able to spread its massive wings.
One of the final glass panels — of a total of 996, the first of which were installed in March — was lifted onto the structure on Friday, according to the New York Times. The 355-foot-long skylight at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey’s newest hub is expected to be completed today.
Calatrava’s structure — which has been subject to much criticism — has amassed about $4 billion in costs. When the plan was proposed in 2004, officials projected a $2 billion construction bill.
The skylight will be opened every September 11 for 102 minutes, in commemoration of the terrorist attacks.
“In all weather conditions, the public will experience a subtle sense of man’s vulnerability, while maintaining a link to a higher order,” Calatrava told the newspaper. [NYT] — Claire Moses