Building Blocks

What’s behind (and below) Hudson Yards, NYC’S built-fromscratch neighborhood.

MANHATTAN’S HUDSON YARDS IS A GRAND VISION FOR THE MIXED-USE NEIGHBORHOOD OF THE FUTURE.

Next month, a daring, $20 billion de-

velopment officially opens in a previously inhospitable and uninhabitable area on Manhattan’s Far West Side. Spearheaded by real estate firm Related Companies (and partly paid for by the city), the 28-acre Hudson Yards sits atop an active rail yard, making it a remarkable architectural and technological achievement. It’s also an audacious experiment in large-scale urban planning, combining public art and touristworthy stores and restaurants with high-end office towers and mixed-income residential buildings. “It’s a city within a city,” says Related chairman Stephen Ross. Below, an early look at the first phase of this built-fromscratch neighborhood.

1. Office Buildings

Hudson Yards has 10 million square feet of office space spread across five high-rises including 30 Hudson Yards, New York’s second-tallest office building. The devel-

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a diverse array of companies including investment firms (KKR), media entities (Vaynermedia, HBO), global conglomerates (L’oréal, Tapestry), and tech companies (Sidewalk Labs).

2. Residential

Once complete, the development will have 4,000 condominiums and rental apartments with market-rate residences beginning at $1.95 million. But the neighborhood is not just for the wealthy: 20% of apartments are reserved for affordable housing, with rents starting at $858 a month for a studio.

3. A Connected District

Related uses data from cell phones and street cameras to monitor and react

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quality, power demands, temperature, and pedestrian flows. The neighborhood’s residents can use the Hudson Yards app to pay bills and book on-site amenities. Visitors who use the public Wi-fi may opt in to receive notifications about events and experiences.

4. The Shed

Diller Scofidio + Renfro and Rockwell Group designed this building, which is home to the new nonprofit Shed arts group, dedicated to commissioning and presenting visual and performing arts. Movie director Steve Mcqueen is overseeing the opening event this spring, a concert series entitled “Soundtrack of America,” celebrating Africanamerican music. The 200,000-square-foot building has an outer shell that slides over the adjoining plaza to create a theater.

5. Retail

More than 100 luxury and mass-market