Reconstruction after the Sept 11 attacks included not just rebuilding on the site of the Twin Towers, but replacing the transit hub station there as well. The new vision for the transit hub includes the Oculus, a building designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava. A defining feature of the Oculus is a skylight at the peak of its roof, which is opened on clear days, flooding the space below with light and giving patrons a view of the new One World Trade Center building. And every Sept 11, the skylight is left open to the elements for 102 minutes—the duration of the attack on the World Trade Center. The elegant transit station is often busy with travelers making a quick stop to shop or eat, since most of the space is dedicated to retail, as it had been before the attacks on 9/11.
Inside the Oculus
More Desktop Wallpapers:
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A look at Uranus, seventh planet from the sun
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Assembling the Smithsonian
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Honoring those who served
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It s Star Wars Day
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A light on National Hispanic Heritage Month
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The Aomori Nebuta Festival parade, Japan
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Dance of the egret
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Ponta da Piedade rock formations in Portugal
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It’s National Walk to Work Day
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Looking down on the Otter
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Old man s whiskers growing wild
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Seasonal lights dazzle in Japan
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The glowing waters of the Matsu Islands
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The Cutty Sark turns 150
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An opulent backdrop for a historic event
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A midsummer twilight s dream
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A rock in a wild place
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Busy building wetlands
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Welcome to ‘Hollywood North’
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A towering view of the Pale Mountains