The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey awarded Skanska Koch the $204M project to fabricate and erect the steel for the Oculus building at the new World Trade Center Transportation Hub in New York. The oval-shaped Oculus is the Santiago Calatrava signature winged structure that serves as the main access point to the PATH commuter train at the new World Trade Center Transportation Hub. Skanska constructed the structure that frames the hub’s main concourse.
Skanska’s contract included fabricating and erecting approximately 11,000 tons of structural steel, consisting of portals, arches, and rafters that combine to give the structure its unique shape. The 800,000 square-foot arrival hall stands at 150 feet at its highest point and serves 200,000 commuters per day. The Oculus provides access to the transportation hub below, the Path Station which serves as the major link between lower Manhattan and New Jersey and contains extensive retail space as well. A system of pedestrian walkways connects the PATH station to Manhattan’s subway network.
Skanska Koch took on the difficult task of operating in the midst of the hectic financial district, managing construction at the same time as the contactors of the many other World Trade Center site projects, including memorial pools, plaza, and pavilion. Calatrava’s Oculus entrance hall, designed by the architect to resemble the release of a bird from a child’s hand, acts as a welcoming, symbolic gateway to the city. The building’s sense of movement reflects the speed of the massive transportation infrastructure below and expresses its role as a key node in New York’s circulation system.
