on march 15, 2019, new york celebrated the grand opening of hudson yards. although the mixed-use scheme ? the largest private real estate development in the history of the united states ? comprises a wealth of offices, residences, and retail outlets, its focal point and centerpiece is a publicly accessible structure designed by heatherwick studio. temporarily known as ?vessel?, the structure is a spiraling, escher-esque maze comprising 154 flights of stairs that ascend skywards.
 
to explain the project in more detail, heatherwick studio has produced a film ? exclusively available at the top of this page ? that offers more insight into the design.

the publicly accessible structure provides the development with a dynamic focal point
image by michael moran for related-oxford  
 
?the brief for vessel came about from a new space being created above railway lines with an area equivalent to trafalgar square, and a sense from the people making this new quarter of new york that there should be a focal point,? explains thomas heatherwick in the film. ?this idea emerged, influenced in part by some stunning images we found of these stepwells that exist in india that were a way that people could get down to water. we wondered whether you could create, in a sense, an amphitheater for people that brought people together.?

154 flights of stairs comprise 2,500 individual steps and 80 landings
image by michael moran for related-oxford
 
 
?our ambition from very early on was about...