A sculpted skyline: Heatherwick Studio's Vessel puts Hudson Yards New York on the map

New York’s post-industrial renaissance continues, driven by land re-use, rising demand for residential, office and commercial property and a warm embrace of multi-level, multi-functional public spaces. Hudson Yards is the city's largest real estate development since the 22-acre Rockefeller Center was built in the 1930s. Located between 10th and 11th Avenues, the site is bisected by the curve of the High Line and ringed by a clutch of new buildings, including Diller Scofidio + Renfro's and Rockwell Group's 'The Shed' culture centre and tapering north and south towers, detailed to glossy perfection by high-rise experts Kohn Pedersen Fox. The tallest of these is around 1,200 ft high, offering up stark and lofty surroundings for a new public space in the heart of the 'Yards'.
Jay Cross is the man overseeing the site’s transition into a new chunk of city. The final brick won’t be laid until 2024, by which time Hudson Yards will accommodate offices, homes, shops, a school and hotel and 14 acres of gardens, walkways and squares. ‘Our objective is to create a great public space, a new crossroads for the city,’ says Cross, ‘and we wanted a central piece that would anchor all these buildings.’ That honour has gone to Heatherwick Studio, and the renders shown here mark the public debut of New York’s most extraordinary piece of infrastructure, dubbed 'Vessel' – part building, part sculpture, all accessible and designed to put Hudson Yards on the map.
Vessel is an extraordinary proposal. 'Our work couldn't be about height in a city where everything is about height, so we became interested in the human dimension – the most successful public spaces have the chemistry of interaction,' says Heatherwick. Drawing on his longstanding fascination with stairs and Indian stepwells, and New Yorkers' relentless emphasis on fitness and movement, Heatherwick and his team shaped a structure that could loosely be described as a 'climbing frame for adults'. Formed from a mesh of 154 individual flights of stairs, 80 landings and endless ribbons of balustrading and balconies, Vessel represents one mile of stairs and walkways winding up and up in a 16-storey steel puzzle, an MC Escher-esque construction that's willfully ambiguous but intended to be totally engaging.
‘Thomas is so ambidextrous as a designer – it’s hard to find someone who could move so easily between these specialities,’ says Cross. ‘The first vignette that he showed us was pretty dazzling and really, from the perspective of the design intent, what we are building is exactly the same.’ Every element of Vessel has been designed to serve the public space it sits in, from the narrow 50 ft base that flares out to 150 ft on the upper level, preserving as much park space as possible, to the reflective stainless steel panels (coated in a special copper finish) that are angled downwards to create dynamic views from the ground.
Vessel sits among five acres of urban park designed by Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects, with input from Heatherwick's team. The new outdoor space is intended as a seamless continuation of the planting and ethos of the nearby High Line, as well as connecting with the new Hudson Park & Boulevard green space. Planting has been inspired by New York's distant past as a verdant woodland, with an integral 200 ft water feature and 28,000 plant species in total. Thomas Woltz, Nelson Byrd Woltz's principal, describes the scheme as 'both technologically complex and beautifully natural', a public space 'inspired in part by the grand piazzas of Europe, including Rome’s Piazza del Campidoglio'.
One of the iconic images of New York is Lunch atop a Skyscraper, a vertiginous portrait of steel, modernity and human adventurousness, taken during the building of the Rockefeller Center. In some respects, the Vessel brings the pioneering spirit of the early skyscraper city to life, its 2,500 steps offering ample challenge to those willing to seek out a high-rise view, the mix of raw and treated metal evoking the hidden cores that hold up the modern city.
When Vessel is finally assembled and opened sometime in 2018, it’ll be up to New Yorkers to decide how it’s used (and named, as Heatherwick acknowledges). ‘As far as we’re concerned we want a great public space that people appreciate and adore,’ Cross says, but he admits it’s hard to predict how many visitors will come and what they’ll do. ‘We’re not sure how far people will walk up,’ he says, adding that only when they saw the piece under construction in Italy did they realise how theatrical the space would be. ‘It’s like a theatre in the round – there are a lot of ways to participate and there will be organised and unorganised activities.’
The Wallpaper* Game-Changer and 20th anniversary edition cover designer's response to the brief comprises a mesh of 154 individual flights of stairs, 80 landings and endless ribbons of balustrading and balconies
Vessel features one mile of stairs and walkways winding up and up in a 16-storey steel puzzle – an MC Escher-esque construction that's willfully ambiguous but intended to be totally engaging
Every element of Vessel has been designed to serve the public space it sits in, from the narrow 50 ft base that flares out to 150 ft on the upper level, to the reflective stainless steel panels (coated in a special copper finish) that are angled downwards to create dynamic views from the ground
INFORMATION
For more information, visit the Hudson Yards New York website
Imagery: Forbes Massie
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Jonathan Bell has written for Wallpaper* magazine since 1999, covering everything from architecture and transport design to books, tech and graphic design. He is now the magazine’s Transport and Technology Editor. Jonathan has written and edited 15 books, including Concept Car Design, 21st Century House, and The New Modern House. He is also the host of Wallpaper’s first podcast.
-
ICON 4x4 goes EV, giving their classic Bronco-based restomod an electric twist
The EV Bronco is ICON 4x4’s first foray into electrifying its range of bespoke vintage off-roaders and SUVs
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
‘Dressed to Impress’ captures the vivid world of everyday fashion in the 1950s and 1960s
A new photography book from The Anonymous Project showcases its subjects when they’re dressed for best, posing for events and celebrations unknown
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Inside Camperlab’s Harry Nuriev-designed Paris store, a dramatic exercise in contrast
The Crosby Studios founder tells Wallpaper* the story behind his new store design for Mallorcan shoe brand Camperlab, which centres on an interplay between ‘crushed concrete’ and gleaming industrial design
By Jack Moss Published
-
We explore Franklin Israel’s lesser-known, progressive, deconstructivist architecture
Franklin Israel, a progressive Californian architect whose life was cut short in 1996 at the age of 50, is celebrated in a new book that examines his work and legacy
By Michael Webb Published
-
A new hilltop California home is rooted in the landscape and celebrates views of nature
WOJR's California home House of Horns is a meticulously planned modern villa that seeps into its surrounding landscape through a series of sculptural courtyards
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
The Frick Collection's expansion by Selldorf Architects is both surgical and delicate
The New York cultural institution gets a $220 million glow-up
By Stephanie Murg Published
-
Remembering architect David M Childs (1941-2025) and his New York skyline legacy
David M Childs, a former chairman of architectural powerhouse SOM, has passed away. We celebrate his professional achievements
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
What is hedonistic sustainability? BIG's take on fun-injected sustainable architecture arrives in New York
A new project in New York proves that the 'seemingly contradictory' ideas of sustainable development and the pursuit of pleasure can, and indeed should, co-exist
By Emily Wright Published
-
The upcoming Zaha Hadid Architects projects set to transform the horizon
A peek at Zaha Hadid Architects’ future projects, which will comprise some of the most innovative and intriguing structures in the world
By Anna Solomon Published
-
Frank Lloyd Wright’s last house has finally been built – and you can stay there
Frank Lloyd Wright’s final residential commission, RiverRock, has come to life. But, constructed 66 years after his death, can it be considered a true ‘Wright’?
By Anna Solomon Published
-
The Eagan house from 'Severance' is available to rent
The Taghkanic House by Thomas Phifer serves as the home of Lumon’s CEO in the AppleTV+ series, and can be rented out for dystopian stays
By Anna Solomon Published