Welcome to a new phoenix -

Just back from 1 World Trade Center in New York. It’s 15 years since 9/11 and the whole site is still under continuous development. Just two weeks ago the Oculus opened . This is an extraordinary structure comprising office space, a Westfield upscale elliptical shopping mall and a transportation hub serving 17 different railway lines. I suspect it won’t be long before it also becomes an event space..It cost $4billion and is stunning. It’s way over budget but this will be forgotten and what will remain is a real gem rather than one more transit station. I found it uplifting and incredibly moving: life has returned. From the inside it looks magnificent and to me it is a testimony to the human spirit to bounce back and go to new heights.

And when you stand beside it:
In some places you can also see the surrounding buildings (some still under construction) through the fins;

Inside there is a light, airy and spacious building with a beautiful Italian white marble finish and even out of rush hour a feeling of life:

The shops don’t get in the way of the public concourse but are easy to access on several levels:

Cast your eye up and the clean white lines continue:

Best of all though, run your eye along the spine of the Oculus and you’ll see a rather special sight: