UWO wind lab to test Trade Centre terminal

The reconstruction of the World Trade Center in New York took centre stage in the wind tunnel at the University of Western Ontario yesterday. The tunnel, which tests the force and impact of wind on structures, tested the Path Terminal, the centrepiece of what will become the new trade centre site to be anchored by the Freedom Tower. Western's tunnel has also landed the contract to check and test the findings of other wind tunnels on the tower itself. "It is certainly a great way to recover from a tremendous loss," said Alan Davenport, founder and director of the Boundary Layer Wind Tunnel Laboratory at Western. Davenport did the wind tests on the original World Trade Center twin towers -- which collapsed in a terrorist attack on Sept. 11, 2001 -- in Colorado and England in the early 1960s before Western's wind tunnel opened in 1965. "The World Trade Center has always been a big part of my life and career and this is a big step forward to recover what we lost," he added. The Path Terminal will be a transit station located at the site known as Ground Zero, where the towers fell. Many have called it New York's new downtown Grand Central -- an oval of glass and steel with wings rising from its spine. Construction of the station, for the Port Authority Trans Hudson or PATH train, is expected to begin next year. It will begin carrying riders in 2006 and be completed by 2009. The cost of the station is estimated at $2 billion US. "It can be a lot of fun to work on a project like the World Trade Center," said Jon Galsworthy, associate research director at the tunnel. "It really keeps the students interested." The wings that run the length of station frame are designed to cast no shadows on Sept. 11 of each year from 8:46 a.m., when the first tower collapsed, to 10:28 a.m., when the second fell. Light will filter through 20 metres of girdled see-through canopies down to the train platforms. As for the moveable dome roof, it will open once a year on Sept. 11. The train station is expected to accommodate about 250,000 daily passengers with possible links to Kennedy Airport and other regional destinations. In all, 14 subway lines will be accessible from the station, which will also connect to ferry service and airport rails. It will also include pedestrian access to the World Financial Center. "These are not typical, run-of-the-mill projects, but they break new ground," added Peter King, research director at the tunnel. "We pride ourselves on being innovative." Davenport agreed the terminal building is a boon for students. "At the very least this gives them something that can enrich their approach to structures," he said. The terminal building itself is designed by famed Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava, who designed the Olympic facilities in Athens, including the main stadium, which was also tested in the Western wind tunnel. The wind tunnel laboratory was expanded in 1984 with a new, larger tunnel added. It is considered one of the top three such facilities in North America, along with ones in Colorado and Guelph. It tests about 50 buildings and structures a year. Source: "UWO wind lab to test Trade Centre terminal" by NORMAN DE BONO, Free Press Business Reporter. October 27 2004.