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Fulton Center Oculus Will Be Fully Illuminated By The Solstice This Sunday (If There's Any Sun)
By
Jen Chung
Published Jun 19, 2015
Modified Jun 19, 2015
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By
Jen Chung
Published Jun 19, 2015
Modified Jun 19, 2015
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The gleaming, still-new Fulton Center will experience its first summer solstice this Sunday. This is a big deal, because as the engineering firm Arup previously told us, June 21st is the "first day of summer, and the day with the longest amount of time between sunrise and sunset. At noon, the lower floors of Fulton Center will receive the greatest and longest amount of direct sunlight of the year."
Here's video simulation of what this should look like:
The NY Times breaks down the details:
Rays of sunlight will burnish Sky Reflector-Net — the 79-foot-high convex tracery of aluminum panels and stainless steel cables in the Fulton Center atrium — for more than nine hours on Sunday, between 7:50 a.m. and 5 p.m. (At the winter solstice, by contrast, direct sunlight hits the net for only 70 minutes.)
From 12:15 p.m. until 3:30 p.m., the rays will penetrate about 40 feet below sidewalk level to recesses on the lowest level of the center.
This should be something to behold, as the station is already very bright. Of course, Arup lighting expert Matt Franks told the Times, "The one thing we have to hope is that it’s sunny." Uh-oh—or pray the forecast changes.
Tagged
fulton center
summer
summer solstice
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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