Skylight at Calatrava’s Oculus transit hub nears completion

The 355-foot-long skylight at the Port Authority's newest hub is expected to be completed today

The new Oculus transit hub at the World Trade Center and Santiago Calatrava
The new Oculus transit hub at the World Trade Center and Santiago Calatrava

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.

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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