The Metrotech Center previously utilized temporary barriers for the security needs of the on-site NYPD facilities and FDNY headquarters. Renovations around the 9/11 answering center building improved the site’s protection with more attractive and durable solutions, including security booths, roadway barriers and bollards to replace the temporary barriers.

The new parallelogram-shaped security kiosks challenge the notion that security enhancements automatically result in an aesthetic of unattractive, industrial materials and forms. The sculptural quality of the unusual booth enhances and softens its presence on the street. Its cladding, made from multilayered glass panels, produces an ever-changing combination of shadows and reflections within its layers. The attention to both the materiality and sculptural characteristics of the booth transform this post 9/11 necessity into public architecture.