WTC Oculus skylight won’t open this year during 9/11 commemoration due to leak
Via Wikimedia
The skylight atop the $3.9 billion World Trade Center Transportation Hub Oculus won’t open this year on September 11, according to the Port Authority. It was announced this week that the skylight–comprised of 224 panes of glass on 40 motorized panels designed by Spanish starchitect Santiago Calatrava–has a leaking problem and will remain closed for this year’s anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. The skylight was intended to open and close, releasing a beam of light into the Oculus space at precisely 10:28 A.M. each year to mark the moment the north tower of the World Trade Center fell.
As 6sqft previously reported, a rubber seal may have ripped during last year’s 9/11 remembrance events when the skylight opened and closed. Since then, the Port Authority has reportedly spent over $30,000 attempting to patch the leak.
A Port Authority spokesperson said, “Under the advice of expert consultants, we are conducting engineering analysis on the Oculus skylight operating systems and reviewing carefully the best approach to repair a complex, one-of-a-kind architectural feature. Our priority is to get it right,” Curbed reports.
The Port Authority will still be holding an interfaith service at St. Peter’s Church at 2 P.M.on Wednesday, September 11 to honor employees and others lost during the 9/11 attacks (as well as victims of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing).
The world’s largest free-flying flag will be flown at the George Washington Bridge from 7:15 A.M. to 1:15 P.M. The 9/11 Memorial and Museum will also be hosting the annual commemoration ceremony starting at 8:30 A.M. A live stream of the ceremony will be shown in its entirety at www.911memorial.org.
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