Fulton Center
Daylight reflecting panels in the sky reflector-net: 952 different, three-dimensional rhombic and triangular-shaped daylight reflecting panels suspended in a net of steel cables
- highly reflecting aluminium surface which reflects 95 % of natural light
- individual perforation of each panel according to exact coordinate and design specifications
Catch a glimpse behind-the-scenes of the building of Sky Reflector-Net and click here.
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The Energy Efficiency Awards distinguish 'Fulton Street'. Find more information here.
With the words "Welcome to the station of the 21st century", the so far largest traffic junction in New York reopened in Lower Manhattan, connecting nine subway lines. Since November 2014, the Fulton Center offers some 300,000 commuters daily a most amazing travel experience: the centre piece and attraction of the station is the worldwide unique "Sky Reflector Net" designed by James Carpenter, Grimshaw Architects and Arup, with durlum realising the daylight guidance.
An oval dome with skylight and some 24 meters high in the centre of the station, reflects the natural sky into the inner of the atrium via a special construction. 952 daylight reflecting panels by durlum suspended from a net of steel cables, guide the daylight from above down to two levels below the transit and shopping centre. They capture the everchanging colour of the sky and the clouds and transport the dynamic of the day into the atrium and the tunnel corridors. This conveys visitors a very special relationship to their outer world.
Each of the 952 perforated daylight reflecting panels, all different and up to two and a half metres in size, was dimensioned and designed individually by durlum to meet the overall design, statics and light guidance of the project. The perforation of each single element is oriented to precise coordinates and has different diameters depending on its installation position, thus resulting in different reflection values for the panel. The three-dimensional angle for precise light guidance of the incoming daylight was also determined precisely by the planning bureau and then designed accordingly by durlum.
The Sky Reflector Net is regarded overall as an architectual and lighting demonstration of art. Realising such an innovative concept required top level engineering skills and coordination among all persons involved in the project. Close cooperation has resulted in a magnificent public space illuminated by daylight which, according to the New York Times, will soon become a tourist attraction in New York.
