The Vessel

Architects: Heatherwick Studio

Submitted by:
Malika Handa 1815991042
 About the architect
Thomas Heatherwick
Founder and Design Director L-R
01 — Roxborough House, 1997
Thomas Heatherwick is a British designer whose prolific and varied 02 — Opera House, 1685

work over two decades is characterised by its ingenuity, inventiveness

and originality. Defying the conventional classification of design
disciplines, Thomas founded Heatherwick studio in 1994 to bring the
practices of design, architecture and urban planning together in a
single workspace.

Thomas leads the design of all Heatherwick Studio projects, working

in collaboration with a team of 200 highly-skilled architects,
designers, and makers. Thomas’ unusual approach applies artistic
thinking to the needs of each project, resulting in some of the most
acclaimed designs of our time.
The Vessel in New York, United

States – Building Information

Architects: Heatherwick Studios
Location: Hudson Yards, Manhattan, NYC, United
States
Total built-up: 2210 m²
Project completion year: 2019
Lead architect: Thomas Heatherwick
Structural Engineer:  Thornton Tomasetti
Height: 46m
Floor count: 16
 Site Location
Hudson Yards, Manhattan,
NYC, United States

Site Context & surroundings

Site Plan
Vessel is a new type of public landmark – a 16-storey circular
climbing frame, with 2,465 steps, 80 landings and views across
the Hudson River and Manhattan. It is the central feature of the
main public square in the Hudson Yards development, one of the
largest real estate projects in American history, which is
transforming a former rail yard in Manhattan’s Upper West Side
into a completely new neighbourhood, with more than five acres
of new public spaces and gardens.
Form Evolution
The Vessel, as the structure is temporarily being
called, is an interactive sculpture comprising a
network of stairs and landings that visitors can
climb (or take an elevator) to the top.

The extraordinary centerpiece of Hudson Yards is its spiral

staircase, a soaring new landmark meant to be climbed. This
interactive artwork was imagined by Thomas Heatherwick
and Heatherwick Studio as a focal point where people can
enjoy new perspectives of the city and one another from
different heights, angles and vantage points.
Looking at the places in cities where people naturally congregate, the underlying infrastructure is often simple –
a staircase, for example, such as the famous Spanish Steps in Rome. Researching this typology further, the studio
explored traditional Indian stepwells; these have an intricate network of stone stairs, so that as the water level in
the reservoir changes, the surface is still accessible. However, like an amphitheatre, the focus of a well is its
centre, and the studio wanted to create an experience that was outward as well as inward-looking.
The Vessel was conceived to be
transformative. When you think of Paris,
you think of the Eiffel Tower. Its builders
are hoping The Vessel will eventually have
the same connotation with New York City. 

As such, it's the point to which the eye is

most naturally drawn. This makes its task
a steep one: creating harmony and
balance within a grid of vertical metal and
glass. Which is precisely why the
structure is shaped the way it is. "It
expands upward, the inversion of all the
buildings around it," says Stuart Wood,
group leader at Heatherwick Studio.

Bringing bold designs back to public

spaces, that's what this project is
fundamentally about, to create three-
dimensional objects that bring people
together in ways that otherwise wouldn't L-R
be happening. There will be ample ways in 01 — Roxborough House, 1997
which visitors will have the opportunities 02 — Opera House, 1685
to come together.
 For nearly a decade, New Yorkers have watched (at times with
feigned enthusiasm) as glass and steel seemed to be in a slow-
motion race toward the sky in Manhattan's midtown west. The
end result has come to be known as Hudson Yards, the largest
mixed-use private real-estate project in American history: a
mega neighborhood that includes four skyscrapers designed
by some of the world's most high-profile architects; a seven-
story, 720,000-square-foot shopping mall; an eye-catching (if
not head-scratching) cultural center dubbed the Shed; and a
curious-looking structure anchoring the entire project.

Roof plan
The Vessel becomes the architectural pearl of
New York City. And much like a pearl, the
structure is cocooned by a shell of skyscrapers,
and cushioned by hundreds of plants and trees.
The greenery will come courtesy of Thomas
Woltz, by using plants that were native to New
York all throughout the space.
Elevation
The Vessel will serve as nothing more (or
less) than a place to walk up and down. To
stand and contemplate. Or meet with
friends and family before leaving to explore
the city. And that's exactly what all parties
involved in its creation want it to be. Its
ambiguity is its greatest strength. Over time
its use will evolve in ways we can't even
imagine right now, in this way they gave the
structure to the city and allowing them to
define it.

The Vessel is a gathering place for tourists,

yes, but more important, New Yorkers. The
team wants people who live here to use
this space and feel a part of it because it's
really for them.
Heatherwick Studio was asked to design a centerpiece for Hudson Yards,
something that would welcome visitors into the heart of the district and
create a new place to meet in Manhattan. Part of the challenge was to
create something memorable that would not be overwhelmed by the
surrounding cluster of towers, or the scale of the new public space above
the train platform. Exploring different possibilities, the team started to
narrow the parameters: it should be a memorable single object, not a
series of objects dispersed throughout the space; rather than an inert,
static sculpture, it should be a social encounter, which encourages activity
and participation – it should be fun.
Section

Ground floor plan

 Although at first glance it appears to be mostly staircases, it’s
actually fully accessible for the differently-abled. It’s cleverly
concealed ramps and elevators keep it compliant with the
Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. It’s also very structurally
sound, despite the fact that it looks like a massive jungle gym. Its
Structure

steps can hold up to 1000 people at once.

The vessel is only 50 feet in diameter at its base, and it widens to

150 feet at its 6-story peak. This deceptively small space includes
154 ingeniously interlaced staircases of bronzed-steel and concrete.
This all adds up to 2,500 steps and 80 landings. 
Structural Integrity
By opening up voids between the steps
to create a three-dimensional lattice,
the public square could be stretched
upwards, creating more than a mile of
routes that could be explored in
different ways. To create the continuous
geometric pattern of the stepwell, with
154 interconnecting flights of stairs, the
object had to be self-supporting – a
discreet structural solution was
required, which did not need additional
columns and beams. This was resolved
by inserting a steel spine between each
pair of staircases, creating a natural
division between ‘up’ and ‘down’. The
raw welded steel of this structure is
exposed to give the object clarity and
integrity, and the underside of the
staircases is clad in a deep copper-
toned metal, setting them apart from
the surrounding architecture.
Structural Integrity
 Materials
The public landmark is composed of a structural steel
frame covered with a polished copper-colored
cladding.

The team at Heatherwick Studio used a noncorrosive

steel to coat each level of the structure. This was
meant to mirror the action and movement above and
below every layer of the 150 foot-tall Vessel, making
the experience more interactive.

The 87 carbon steel pieces that make up vessel were

pre fabricated at a plant in Italy, then shipped to the
US.

When we are on the project looking downwards we

see an almost urban palette of concrete, grey and
very familiar materials.
 Size & scale
For nearly a decade, New Yorkers have watched (at
times with feigned enthusiasm) as glass and steel
seemed to be in a slow-motion race toward the sky in
Manhattan's midtown west. The end result has come
to be known as Hudson Yards, the largest mixed-use
private real-estate project in American history: a
mega neighborhood that includes four skyscrapers
designed by some of the world's most high-profile
architects; a seven-story, 720,000-square-foot
shopping mall; an eye-catching (if not head-
scratching) cultural center dubbed the Shed; and a
curious-looking structure anchoring the entire
project.

Yet despite the size of the Vessel, it has been designed

at a human scale, to be climbed, explored and enjoyed
by New Yorkers and visitors – a simple structure,
animated by people and the reflections of the square L-R
01 — Roxborough House, 1997
beneath. 02 — Opera House, 1685
Inference
Interactive spaces for people to explore and define.

Acts as a focal point for all the surrounding buildings and provides multiple perspectives and views to people.

The buildings expands upwards contrary to the buildings surrounding it which creates a mixed sense of harmony and
contrast.

The idea of a three dimensional, bold design that brings people together.
It’s ambiguity is its greatest strength.

A memorable single object rather than a series of objects.

Rather than an inert, static sculpture, it is a social encounter, which encourages activity and participation – it is fun.
The underside of the staircases is clad in a deep copper-toned metal, setting them apart from the surrounding
architecture.

Shiny surfaces to make it more interactive and materials like concrete for the familiarity in urban context.

Size of the building can be large yet it can be designed at human scale for people to explore and enjoy.