World Trade Center Transportation Hub

Overview

We provided structural and protective design services for Calatrava's signature World Trade Center Transportation Hub. We were significantly involved in designing the PATH hall with its oculus roof and the permanent underpinning for and connections to MTA's No. 1 Line. The roof allows natural light into the hall, a dramatic 200-foot, column-limited space that dominates the structure's three underground levels.

HIGHLIGHTS 

• We worked closely with the Downtown Design Partnership teams to meet design objectives without infringing on the architectural vision of Calatrava. Numerous high-fidelity simulations were conducted to refine details necessary to comply with stringent project design criteria.
• A defining project feature was our successful “baking in” of the protective design elements into the base design, thus maintaining the integrity of the architectural vision and the exposed structure. Much of that complex yet flexible integration was enabled by our unique computational simulation technology for extreme events, validated over the last three decades against many large-scale tests of extreme events, commissioned and conducted with the support of various federal agencies including the Department of Defense and the Department of Homeland Security.
• A challenging aspect of the project was the connection of the Dey Street concourse with the north end of the oculus. Coordinating the design solutions required close interaction with the design teams for the Cortlandt Street Station, E-Line Connector, Dey Street Concourse, Tower 2, Tower 3, and the PATH Hub.
• The design and construction of the MTA No. 1 Line underpinning and tied arch posed additional challenges. To underpin the original tube, an underground bridge, spanning an expansive pedestrian passageway, was constructed to support the MTA No. 1 line box. This solution met a host of design constraints and allowed uninterrupted train service during construction, granting pedestrians a breathtaking underground view.