''Vessel'' (structure)

Under construction in May 2017

Vessel is a public structure and landmark that is under construction as part of the Hudson Yards redevelopment project in the Manhattan borough of New York City. The elaborate honeycomb-like structure is designed to rise 16 stories and consist of 154 flights of stairs, 2,500 steps, and 80 landings. When complete, visitors would be able to climb the installation. Designed by the British architect Thomas Heatherwick, Vessel is intended to be the main feature of the 5-acre (2.0 ha) Hudson Yards Public Square once the structure is completed in 2018 at a cost of $150 million to $200 million.

Description

Vessel is a 16-story structure of connected staircases between the buildings of Hudson Yards, located in the 5-acre (2.0 ha) Hudson Yards Public Square.[1] Designed by Thomas Heatherwick,[2] Vessel has 154 flights, 2,500 steps, and 80 landings that stretch from its 50-foot-wide (15 m) base to its 150-foot-wide (46 m) apex,[2] with the total length of the stairs exceeding 1 mile (1.6 km).[3] The structure also has ramps for compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.[1] Stephen Ross, the CEO of Hudson Yards' developer Related Companies, said that Vessel's unusual shape was intended to make Vessel stand out like a "12-month Christmas tree."[1] The copper-clad steps, arranged like a jungle gym[4] and modeled after Indian stepwells,[3][5] would be able to hold up to 1,000 people at a time.[2] Heatherwick said that he intends for visitors to climb and explore the structure as if it were an actual jungle gym.[6] At the top of the structure, visitors could have views of the Hudson River coastline.[3]

Vessel is being designed in conjunction with the Hudson Yards Public Square, designed by Thomas Woltz from Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects.[7] The attached 5-acre (2 ha) public square has 28,000 plants and 225 trees,[8] located on the platform upon which Hudson Yards is built.[9] The plaza's southern side is slated to have a canopy of trees. The southeast entrance is designed to contain a fountain as well. A "'seasonally expressive' entry garden" is meant for the 34th Street–Hudson Yards station's subway entrance at 33rd Street.[10] The plaza is also designed to also connect to the High Line.[11]

Originally slated to cost $75 million,[1] Vessel is now expected to cost between $150[2] and $200 million.[3] Heatherwick attributed the bloated price tag to the complexity of building the steel pieces.[1]

The pieces of Vessel are being assembled in the commune of Monfalcone in Italy.[1] From there, ships transport the sections of the sculpture by ship to the Hudson River docks.[3]

"Vessel" is actually the structure's temporary name during construction, with its permanent name to be determined.[11]

History

In an interview with Fortune magazine, Ross said that he "wanted to commission something transformational, monumental," which led to the concept for Vessel.[3] Ross was looking to five unnamed artists who were renowned for designing similar plazas, then asked them for in-depth proposals. He rejected all of the plans, at which point a colleague introduced Ross to Heatherwick.[1] Six weeks after they talked, Ross accepted Heatherwick's proposal immediately because Heatherwick's plan "had everything I wanted."[1] In an interview with designboom, Heatherwick said that his design for Vessel originated from a childhood experience when he "fell in love with an old discarded flight of wooden stairs outside a local building site."[5] The media first reported Heatherwick's commissioning in October 2013.[7][12]

The concept of Vessel was unveiled to the public on September 14, 2016,[3] in an event attended by hundreds of people including New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio.[2][1] The unveiling event, which was hosted by Anderson Cooper, featured a performance from the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater that evoked the interlocking design of Vessel's staircases.[1]

In April 2017, the first major piece of the sculpture was installed at Hudson Yards.[13] Construction started on April 18[14] with the installation of the first 10 pieces of the 75-piece structure.[15] It is projected for completion in fall of the following year,[15] with the other 65 pieces arriving in five batches.[16]

Critical reception

The sculpture received positive acclaim upon its unveiling. Fortune called Vessel "Manhattan's answer to the Eiffel Tower",[3] a sentiment echoed by CNN.[6] Elle Decor compared Vessel to an M. C. Escher drawing.[4] The New York Times stated that the sculpture, while a "stairway to nowhere" in the utilitarian sense, served as an "exclamation point" to the northern terminus of the High Line Park.[1] The Gothamist called Vessel "a bold addition to the city's landscape."[17] Speaking about the structure's design process, Heatherwick stated, "We had to think of what could act as the role of a landmarker. Something that could help give character and particularity to the space."[18]

Public Art Fund president Susan Freedman liked the renderings for Vessel but called it "a leap of faith in terms of scale.” She stated that there might be too much demand for Vessel, especially considering the structure's proximity to the High Line.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Loos, Ted (September 14, 2016). "A $150 Million Stairway to Nowhere on the Far West Side". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 16, 2017.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Bockmann, Rich (September 14, 2016). "Stairway to Hudson: Related unveils $150M sculpture". The Real Deal New York. Retrieved September 14, 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Tully, Shawn (September 14, 2016). "This Monument Could Be Manhattan’s Answer to the Eiffel Tower". Fortune. Retrieved November 10, 2016.
  4. 1 2 Kloss, Kelsey (September 15, 2016). "New York City's Future Landmark Is a Real-Life M.C. Escher Drawing". ELLE Decor. Retrieved May 16, 2017.
  5. 1 2 Azzarello, Nina (September 14, 2016). "thomas heatherwick unveils 'vessel' for NY's hudson yards". designboom. Retrieved November 10, 2016.
  6. 1 2 Ap, Tiffany (September 15, 2016). "Could this be New York's Eiffel Tower?". CNN. Retrieved November 10, 2016.
  7. 1 2 "British Artist Will Create A 'New Icon' For NYC In Hudson Yards". Curbed NY. October 29, 2013. Retrieved May 16, 2017.
  8. ↑ Dunlap, David W. (July 22, 2015). "A Garden Will Grow With Fans, Concrete, Coolant and 28,000 Plants". New York Times. New York Times. Retrieved July 22, 2015.
  9. ↑ "Hudson Yards developers give update on project". AM New York. August 21, 2014. Retrieved August 21, 2014.
  10. ↑ "Progress Report: Hudson Yards". Chelsea Now. Retrieved February 21, 2015.
  11. 1 2 Plitt, Amy (September 14, 2016). "First look at Hudson Yards’s enormous, interactive ‘public landmark’". Curbed NY. Retrieved November 10, 2016.
  12. ↑ Maloney, Jennifer; Brown, Eliot (October 29, 2013). "Aiming for an Artistic 'Icon'". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved May 16, 2017.
  13. ↑ "Go inside Hudson Yards as its ‘Vessel’ gets its groundbreaking". Curbed NY. April 18, 2017. Retrieved May 16, 2017.
  14. ↑ "Construction To Begin On Hudson Yards 'Vessel'". CBS New York. April 18, 2017. Retrieved May 16, 2017.
  15. 1 2 Varinsky, Dana; Garfield, Leanna (April 18, 2017). "The biggest real estate development in American history will have a 15-story maze of stairwells". Business Insider. Retrieved May 16, 2017.
  16. ↑ Silva, Bianca (April 19, 2017). "Ten by Sea: Vessel's Vital Components Arrive at Hudson Yards". Chelsea Now. Retrieved May 19, 2017.
  17. ↑ Colon, David (September 14, 2016). "Behold The Giant $150 Million Public Art 'Vessel' Coming To Hudson Yards". Gothamist. Retrieved November 10, 2016.
  18. ↑ "Heatherwick Studio's "Vessel" Will Take the Form of an Endless Stairway at New York's Hudson Yards". ArchDaily. September 15, 2016. Retrieved November 10, 2016.

Coordinates: 40°45′14″N 74°00′07″W / 40.754°N 74.002°W / 40.754; -74.002

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