The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey has installed new permanent inlaid floor markings at the Oculus Transportation Hub that highlight the “wedge of light,” an architectural feature that uses the path of the sunlight to mark the timing of the start and end of the terrorist attack on the Twin Towers on the morning of September 11, 2001. The new inlays create physical markings of the design conceptualized by master plan architect Daniel Libeskind when the path of sunlight fills the transportation hub every September 11 between 8:46 am and 10:28 am. The new inlays create physical markings of the design conceptualized by master plan architect Daniel Libeskind when the path of sunlight fills the transportation hub every September 11 between 8:46 am and 10:28 am.
Photo credit: PANYNJ
Libeskind took inspiration from commemorative sundials, embracing the meaningful relationship between light, remembrance, and the city around the campus. His design vision centered on the sun’s path on September 11 between the time of the attack on the North Tower, which was the first tower to be struck, and the time of its collapse, which was the final event that led to the destruction of the campus. The “wedge of light” refers to the path of sunlight that shaped the orientation and geometry of public spaces across the rebuilt campus, including the sunlight that fills the Oculus Transportation Hub every September 11 due to its alignment with Libeskind’s design vision.
The new floor inlay includes a glass and Lasa marble centerpiece and a line of inscription across the west and east ends of the Oculus, tracing the axis of the sun’s angle and path from 8:46 am to 10:28 am. The marble is inscribed with the words: “AZIMUTH 128.45 TO NORTH | ALTITUDE 41.33 TO THE SUN | AT 10:28AM ON SEPTEMBER 11, 2001.”
Photo credit: PANYNJ
The walk-over centerpiece is inscribed with: “HERE THE SUN STANDS AT 10:28 AM ON SEPTEMBER 11, COMPLETING A WEDGE OF LIGHT.” The marble medallion is topped with a circle of anti-slip glass.
“Permanently weaving that wedge of light into the literal foundation of the Oculus is a fitting tribute to the memory of those first moments of the attacks and to the master design vision that our redeveloped campus is built around,” said Port Authority Chairman Kevin O’Toole. “Future generations will be able to follow the path of the wedge of light across the campus using these markings to connect with how the events of that day and those terrible moments in time are with us still, woven into the campus itself.”
Photo credit: PANYNJ
“With each passing year, it becomes more important to keep alive the memories of that day for the generations not yet born 25 years ago,” said Port Authority Executive Director Kathryn Garcia. “We rebuilt the World Trade Center campus and the Oculus Transportation Hub to provide a space for reflection, remembrance, and connection, as well as a place that embraces transformation, light, and hope. The new inlays embedded into the Oculus floor provide context and insight for future generations and help make that connection to the campus.”
The events memorialized by the “wedge of light” design concept and the markings installed inside and outside the Oculus are included in the seven official moments of silence and the tolling of bells observed by the 9/11 Memorial & Museum. Information on the significance of the memorial’s seven official moments of silence is available here.
Of the seven moments of silence, four are specific to the attacks at the World Trade Center site: