Vessel, the centerpiece of the Public Square and Gardens at Hudson Yards, today began to rise on Manhattan’s West Side, marking the start of construction of this new urban landmark. Related Chairman Stephen M. Ross, project executives and the construction team were on hand to witness the first pieces of Vessel being placed.
As Vessel is built in the upcoming months, the public can view its progress from the High Line and from Hudson Park and Boulevard at West 34th Street. Designed by Heatherwick Studio, founded by renowned designer Thomas Heatherwick, Vessel is comprised of 154 intricately-interconnecting flights of stairs, 2,500 individual steps and 80 landings.
Vessel will rise from a base that is 50 feet in diameter and will widen to 150 feet at the top, offering the public a one-mile vertical climbing experience and some of the most unique views of the West Side. Vessel is being fabricated by Cimolai S.p.A. in their Monfalcone, Italy facility.
Thomas Heatherwick says, “This is a special moment as Vessel begins being assembled at Hudson Yards. As one of the most complex and ambitious pieces of steelwork ever made, the next months will provide a one-off opportunity to see a future extraordinary structure emerge for New York. There are so many buildings and projects I wish I saw being made. So, for those who are interested.”
The first 10 of 75 pieces of the 150-foot-tall steel structure arrived by ship after travelling for 15 days at sea. After a brief stay at the Port of Newark, the pieces took a five-hour barge trip across the Hudson River to make their way to Hudson Yards. The remaining pieces will be arriving on-site and put into place over the coming months.
Vessel is expected to top out by the end of this year and is expected to formally open to the public along with the entire Public Square and Gardens in the Fall of 2018. Additional elements of the Public Square and Gardens will also begin to take shape in the Fall of 2017, including the planting of the first 40 trees that will form a Bosque in the southern section of the public space.
The Public Square and Gardens at Hudson Yards will eventually house more than 28,000 plants, 200 mature trees, woodland plants, perennial gardens and a 200-foot-long fountain that will mirror the flow of a river.The Public Square and Gardens at Hudson Yards, designed by Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects in collaboration with Heatherwick Studio,
Will feature more than five acres of public plazas, gardens and groves that seamlessly connect to the High Line and the new Hudson Park & Boulevard. When complete, this continuous chain of open spaces on the West Side will run from Gansevoort Street to Times Square, making it the largest network of public spaces developed in Manhattan since Central Park.
And when the full Hudson Yards development is completed in 2025, this new public space will also connect to the final phase of Hudson River Park, extending the bike paths from the George Washington Bridge at the north to the Battery at the south.
Hudson Yards is a new neighborhood on Manhattan’s West Side being developed by Related Companies and Oxford Properties Group. Hudson Yards will be home to more than 100 shops and restaurants – including New York City’s first Neiman Marcus – dozens of the world’s corporate business leaders, state-of-art modern residences, a unique cultural space,
14-acres of public open space, a new 750-seat public school and a 200-room Equinox® branded luxury hotel – all offering unparalleled amenities for residents, employees and guests. Source by Hudson Yards New York, images Courtesy of Forbes Massie-Heatherwick Studio, Related-Oxford.