The carbuncle at the World Trade Center site is well-documented and as the Transit Hub inches along, its mid-2000s aesthetic looks more and more ancient everyday. The dinosaur-like structural expressionist sculpture is eight years behind schedule and $2 billion over budget. It is set to become the crown jewel in Santiago Calatrava‘s overbudget and questionably detailed crown. However, the construction photos look great.
WTC Transit Hub images via Animal New York
These unauthorized construction photos by Animal NY’s Aymann Ismail show that the building, despite its warts, could be pretty spectacular when it opens in late 2015 (supposedly). Soaring, bird-like wings make the building an odd space for a transit hub, especially one that is in such a dense urban setting. Nonetheless, it should be an attraction.
Buildings often look best when they are half-built. The orange fences should be incorporated into more final designs. Exposed floor plates break the façade and give us a better look at the composition of the building. The lo-fi tectonics of scaffolding augment the overall massing of the building, and protective plywood walls are like monolithic, temporary interventions that slice through the site.
See more of the photos of the winged work-in-progress at Animal NY.