Vessel in Hudson Yards, New York by Heatherwick Studio

Article source: Heatherwick Studio

Vessel is a new type of public landmark – a 16-storey circular climbing frame, with 2,465 steps, 80 landings and views across the Hudson River and Manhattan. It is the central feature of the main public square in the Hudson Yards development, one of the largest real estate projects in American history, which is transforming a former rail yard in Manhattan’s Upper West Side into a completely new neighbourhood, with more than five acres of new public spaces and gardens.

Vessel Interior, Image Courtesy © Getty Images

• Architects: Heatherwick Studio
• Project: Vessel
• Location: Hudson Yards, New York, USA
• Photography: Getty Images, Michael Moran for Related-Oxford, Francis Dzikowski for Related-Oxford
• Client: Related, Oxford Properties Group
• Design Engineers: AKTII
• Structural Engineers: Thornton Tomasetti
• Landscape Architects: Nelson Byrd Woltz
• Project Team: Charlotte Bovis, Einar Blixhavn, Antoine van Erp, Felipe Escudero, Thomas Farmer, Steven Howson, Jessica In, Nilufer Kocabas, Panagiota Kotsovinou, Barbara Lavickova, Alexander Laing, Elli Liverakou, Pippa Murphy, Luke Plumbley, Ivan Ucros Polley, Daniel Portilla, Jeff Powers, Matthew Pratt, Peter Romvári, Ville Saarikoski, Takashi Tsurumaki

Vessel Interior, Image Courtesy © Getty Images

• Architect of Record: KPF Associates
• Steel Contractor: Cimolai
• Project Management: Tisham
• Design Director: Thomas Heatherwick
• Group Leader: Stuart Wood
• Project Leader: Laurence Dudeney
• Area / Height: 2,210 square metres / 45.7 metres
• Completion Date: March 2019

Vessel with View of Hudson River, Image Courtesy © Michael Moran for Related-Oxford

Vessel with The Shops & Restaurant at Hudson Yards, Image Courtesy © Michael Moran for Related-Oxford

Heatherwick Studio was asked to design a centrepiece for Hudson Yards, something that would welcome visitors into the heart of the district and create a new place to meet in Manhattan. Part of the challenge was to create something memorable that would not be overwhelmed by the surrounding cluster of towers, or the scale of the new public space above the train platform. Exploring different possibilities, the team started to narrow the parameters: it should be a memorable single object, not a series of objects dispersed throughout the space; rather than an inert, static sculpture, it should be a social encounter, which encourages activity and participation – it should be fun.

Vessel Exterior, Image Courtesy © Michael Moran for Related-Oxford

Vessel and Exterior of The Shops & Restaurants at Hudson Yards, Image Courtesy © Francis Dzikowski for Related-Oxford

Looking at the places in cities where people naturally congregate, the underlying infrastructure is often simple – a staircase, for example, such as the famous Spanish Steps in Rome. Researching this typology further, the studio explored traditional Indian stepwells; these have an intricate network of stone stairs, so that as the water level in the reservoir changes, the surface is still accessible. However, like an amphitheatre, the focus of a well is its centre, and the studio wanted to create an experience that was outward as well as inward-looking.

Vessel Interior, Image Courtesy © Getty Images

Vessel Interior, Image Courtesy © Michael Moran for Related-Oxford

By opening up voids between the steps to create a threedimensional lattice, the public square could be stretched upwards, creating more than a mile of routes that could be explored in different ways. To create the continuous geometric pattern of the stepwell, with 154 interconnecting flights of stairs, the object had to be self-supporting – a discreet structural solution was required, which did not need additional columns and beams. This was resolved by inserting a steel spine between each pair of staircases, creating a natural division between ‘up’ and ‘down’. The raw welded steel of this structure is exposed to give the object clarity and integrity, and the underside of the staircases is clad in a deep copper-toned metal, setting them apart from the surrounding architecture.

Every element of the Vessel is bespoke, from the joints to the handrails. The 75 huge steel components were produced in Venice by specialist fabricator Cimolai, before being brought from Italy in six shipments, carried across the Hudson River by barge, and assembled on site in a process that took three years. Yet despite the size of the Vessel, it has been designed at a human scale, to be climbed, explored and enjoyed by New Yorkers and visitors – a simple structure, animated by people and the reflections of the square beneath.

North Elevation, Image Courtesy © Heatherwick Studio

Section, Image Courtesy © Heatherwick Studio

Exploded Axo, Image Courtesy © Heatherwick Studio

Roof Plan, Image Courtesy © Heatherwick Studio

Lift Section, Image Courtesy © Heatherwick Studio

Site Plan, Image Courtesy © Heatherwick Studio

Tags: New York, USA

Categories: Monument, public spaces

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