The idea for the vessel came from feeling that we shouldn’t just make a sculpture or a monument – it felt to us that rather than building a sculpture, it would be great if something was creating more public space.
In the latest video in their Daily 360 series, The New York Times takes us inside Heatherwick Studio’s “Vessel” at Hudson Yards. After topping out last week, the full 154 flights of stairs that make up the unique public structure are now in place, offering some pretty extraordinary views of the Hudson River and west Manhattan.
In the video, Thomas Heatherwick discusses the design concept behind the monument, as well as the long journey the pieces took from the Italian studio where they were manufactured, to their final home in New York City. So make sure to turn your volume on!
Heatherwick's Copper 'Vessel' Tops Out at New York's Hudson Yards
Heatherwick Studio's glimmering staircase monument, 'Vessel,' has topped out after eight months of construction at New York City's Hudson Yards development. Consisting of 154 flights of stairs, 2,500 individual steps and 80 landings, the sculptural public space has now reached its full height of 150 feet, which will allow it to offer sweeping views of Manhattan 's west side when it opens in early 2019.
Watch Construction Begin on Heatherwick's Vessel at Hudson Yards
Construction has officially begun on Vessel, the 15-story tall staircase sculpture designed by Heatherwick Studio that will serve as the centerpiece of New York's massive new Hudson Yards development. To build the structure, 75 individual units are being prefabricated by Cimolai S.p.A.
Heatherwick Studio's "Vessel" Will Take the Form of an Endless Stairway at New York's Hudson Yards
Thomas Heatherwick is bringing a new public monument to New York City. Today, Heatherwick Studio revealed the first renderings of "Vessel," a 15-story tall occupiable sculpture comprised of 154 intricately interconnecting flights of stairs that will serve as the centerpiece of the new Hudson Yards development in west Manhattan.