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Santiago Calatrava: Oculus
Located at the site of the September 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center, the Oculus is touted as one of the most beautiful buildings of the 21st century. Designed by architect, engineer, sculptor and painter Santiago Calatrava, one of the biggest names in contemporary architecture, the 80,000-square-foot steel and white marble structure resembles a bird poised to take flight. In this monograph, Paul Goldberger, architectural critic for the New Yorker, and George Deodatis, department chair of Columbia University's Department of Civil Engineering, reveal the inspiration behind the graceful and sculptural building formally known as the World Trade Center Transportation Hub. Through stunning photos and technical drawings, along with original texts from the designer himself, Oculus is an intimate look at a building that has already become an icon of public architecture.