The Oculus is home to 12 subway lines, the World Trade Centre station, and dozens of retailers, serving over a million people every week. <br /><br /><br />The main floor bustles with commuters, shoppers, and visitors, plus weekly programs, from farmers' markets and art exhibits to musical performances and retail events.<br /><br /><br />The Oculus has access points across the entire 16-acre World Trade Centre campus and is owned and operated by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. <br /><br /><br />The Oculus was positioned as part of the World Trade Center masterplan by Daniel Libeskind and designed by Santiago Calatrava. The structure’s white metal-clad steel ribs reach up and out in a monumental move symbolic of a hand releasing a dove.<br /><br /><br />The structure's orientation serves as a lasting reminder of the attacks of September 11, 2001. It is in alignment with the sun’s solar angles on each September 11, from 8:46 am, when the first plane struck, until 10:28 am, when the second tower collapsed. Its central skylight fits this alignment and washes the Oculus floor with a beam of light.
The Oculus is home to 12 subway lines, the World Trade Centre station, and dozens of retailers, serving over a million people every week. <br /><br /><br />The main floor bustles with commuters, shoppers, and visitors, plus weekly programs, from farmers' markets and art exhibits to musical performances and retail events.<br /><br /><br />The Oculus has access points across the entire 16-acre World Trade Centre campus and is owned and operated by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. <br /><br /><br />The Oculus was positioned as part of the World Trade Center masterplan by Daniel Libeskind and designed by Santiago Calatrava. The structure’s white metal-clad steel ribs reach up and out in a monumental move symbolic of a hand releasing a dove.<br /><br /><br />The structure's orientation serves as a lasting reminder of the attacks of September 11, 2001. It is in alignment with the sun’s solar angles on each September 11, from 8:46 am, when the first plane struck, until 10:28 am, when the second tower collapsed. Its central skylight fits this alignment and washes the Oculus floor with a beam of light.