vessel rising: heatherwick studio's landmark structure takes shape in new york

‘vessel’, the landmark heatherwick studio-designed structure that will form the centerpiece of new york’s hudson yards development, is nearing its full height. the project was unveiled in september 2016, with construction getting underway the following april. comprising 154 interconnecting flights of stairs, the interactive structure is intended to be climbed, explored, and experienced. once complete, the design — with its almost 2,500 individual steps and 80 landings — will offer a mile’s worth of pathway above a sprawling public garden.

the landmark structure will form the centerpiece of new york’s hudson yards development
image © designboom (also main image)

heatherwick studio’s design comprises a geometric lattice of intersecting flights of stairs. the form of the painted steel frame rises from a 50 foot diameter base and widens at the top to 150 feet, with an underside clad with a polished copper-colored skin. ‘we saw this as a building made from staircases,’ thomas heatherwick told designboom at the project’s unveiling. ‘there was nothing to commemorate here, and having something that creates a physical engagement creates a chemistry between us.’ importantly, ‘vessel’ will also be wheelchair accessible, and is designed with a curving elevator that will ascend to the top of the structure.

named  ‘vessel’, the installation is now nearing its full height
image © designboom

‘vessel’ will be the focal point of a public square and gardens designed by landscape architects nelson byrd woltz in collaboration with heatherwick studio. informed by manhattan’s rich ecological history, the site will feature more than five acres of plazas with groves of trees, woodlands plants, perennial gardens and a 200-foot-long fountain that mirrors the flow of a river. the platform itself serves as a ventilating cover over the working rail yards below and is engineered to support large-scale plantings, while simultaneously acting as a reservoir for site storm-water management and reuse.

construction got underway in april 2017
image © designboom

hudson yards is being developed by related companies and oxford properties group. under construction on the far west side of midtown manhattan, the vast scheme is the largest private real estate development in the history of the united states and the largest development in new york city since rockefeller center in 1939. see all of designboom’s coverage of hudson yards here, including our comprehensive round-up of the masterplan.

the interactive structure comprises 154 interconnecting flights of stairs
image © designboom

once complete, the design will offer a mile’s worth of accessible pathway
image © designboom

the project includes almost 2,500 individual steps and 80 landings
image © designboom

the public can follow the project’s construction using the hashtag #vesselrising
video courtesy of hudson yards

see designboom’s previous coverage of the project here
image courtesy of forbes massie / heatherwick studio