This capsule is made of welded stainless steel, and is described by the artist as resembling a flower. It contains diverse artifacts of the late 20th century and will be permanently on display atop a polished black granite base until the year 3000, at which time the capsule will be opened. Derived from a sculpture series that explores the formal properties of folded spherical frames, the form of the capsule has been sliced through horizontally, forming two halves. The four top segments are hinged to the bottom four. The cavities of the segments are hollow and together contain about 50 cubic feet of storage space, allowing four tall containers to be housed inside. The items were selected from suggestions by visitors to the Museum of Natural History and the New York Times web site. They were treated with preservative, surrounded with a layer of Nanopore insulation,  packed in special steel containers, and sealed.

Located in the entry plaza outside the Columbus Ave pavilion of The American Museum of Natural History

The New York Times Capsule

Jean Parker Phifer, NYC architect and author of Public Art New York, reads a selection about the New York Times Capsule, designed by Santiago Calatrava.

80 South Street was a residential skyscraper proposed for construction in New York City. The building was planned for construction in Lower Manhattan, and designed by renowned Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava. However, the project was canceled on April 16, 2008 in the wake of a declining real estate market.

80 South Street

Inspired by expressive, abstract forms found in the natural world, the seven sculptures appear to be growing out of the grass in which they are anchored, implying a sense of elevation and spiritual uplifting.  The tallest of the works is 40 feet in length and 20 feet tall.

Calatrava on Park Avenue

St. Nicholas replaced the original church of the same name that was destroyed during the September 11 attacks in 2001—the only house of worship, and only building outside the original World Trade Center complex, to be completely destroyed. &nbsp;Its architecture draws from Byzantine influences, namely the Church of the Savior and the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, as well as from the Parthenon in Athens. One of the most unique features of his design is a glowing façade made of 1,000 eighth-inch thick panels of Pentelic marble, sandwiched between panes of glass. This material allows light to indirectly filter into the church during the day and for the walls to have a warm glow from the outside at night. &nbsp;In addition to serving as a Greek Orthodox parish, St. Nicholas is officially planned as a "House of Prayer for all people" that will function as a national shrine and community center, incorporating a secular bereavement space, social hall, and various educational and interfaith programs.

St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church and National Shrine

On one day a year, the roof of Lower Manhattan's World Trade Center Transit Hub opens to the sky. Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava's Oculus, the centerpiece of the massive hub, was designed to align perfectly with the sun on Sept. 11, providing a silent but powerful reminder of that tragic day.

Oculus

A Wedge of Light

Santiago Calatrava's 'Oculus' opened with a price tag reported at $4 billion, one of the most expensive transit hubs ever built.

The first building completed at Ground Zero was the architecturally inspirational transportation hub with the Oculus as the iconic public entry to commect the disparate subway and PATH systems, and improve of east-west pedestrian connectivity. The goals also included a place for transportation, retail, and community in a way that had not been experienced in the past, while also providing simple and easy to navigate connections to the commercial components of the World Trade Center Site. The below-grade Concourses, transit entrances to Towers 1, 2 and 4, and the PATH Mezzanine with Platforms A and B, are now open to the public and achieving the civic goals established in the days when such things seemed almost insurmountable.&nbsp;

About 13,000 lighting fixtures have been installed throughout the Oculus to reduce energy consumption and increase the life expectancy of the lamps as part of a sustainability program. The program also brought a new feature to the Oculus that allows the rib-uplighting to be changed to any color.

The TEUPEN TL 156AX, or “Big Red” as it is affectionately known. It has an articulated arm that can reach the highest point of the Oculus skylight at 160 feet above the floor and can extend over 50 feet horizontally.

 Michael Mahesh/The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey

World Trade Center Transportation Hub

                                            
                                            
                                            
                                                Santiago Calatrava talks about September 11th and how it affected him and the design for the PATH station transportation hub.
                                            
                                        

Santiago Calatrava Valls is a Spanish architect, sculptor and structural engineer whose principal office is in Zurich, Switzerland. Classed now among the elite designers of the world, he has offices in Zurich, Paris, Valencia, and New York City.

Santiago Calatrava Valls

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