The Bathtub refers to the underground foundation area at the site of the World Trade Center and accompanying buildings in New York City.
The Bathtub encompasses a large, roughly rectangular excavation down to bedrock surrounded by reinforced concrete walls, intended to serve as dams to prevent water intrusion from the nearby Hudson River (North River). Built to keep water out, it also holds water in, which is why it has earned the nickname. The Bathtub contains a 16 acre (65,000 m²) site, including seven basement levels, the downtown terminal of the Port Authority Trans-Hudson rapid transit line, and a preexisting New York City Subway line. The waterproof wall is three feet (~1 meter) thick and 70 feet (~21 meters) high.
It was feared that the wall might collapse during the removal of debris from the September 11th attacks, endangering workers and possibly compromising other buildings and flooding a significant portion of the subway system. To prevent this, reinforcements were attached to bedrock to shore up the bathtub walls.
A bath ( ), bathtub (AmE), or tub (informal) is a plumbing fixture used for bathing. Most modern bathtubs are made of acrylic or fiberglass, but alternatives are available in enamel over steel or cast iron, and occasionally wood. A bathtub is usually placed in a bathroom either as a stand-alone fixture or in conjunction with a shower.
Modern bathtubs have overflow and waste drains and may have taps mounted on them. They may be built-in or free standing or sometimes sunken. Until recently, most bathtubs were roughly rectangular in shape but with the advent of acrylic thermoformed baths, more shapes are becoming available. Bathtubs are commonly white in colour although many other colours can be found. The process for enamelling cast iron bathtubs was invented by the Scottish born American David Dunbar Buick.
Two main styles of bathtub are common:
