A NEW YORK STORY
This year is indeed going to be “monumental” for the city that never sleeps as it unveils significant new projects, the likes of which have not been seen in decades.
This year seems to be the Big Apple’s time to shine, what with exciting new landmarks cropping up all over the metropolis
At the top of the list is the Hudson Yards development described as the largest since the Rockefeller Center opened in the 1930s. Strategically located at the north end of the City’s iconic High Line, the Hudson Yards project is a 21st century floating feat of engineering that straddles a massive working rail yard and is supported by 300 caissons drilled deep into the bedrock between existing rail tracks. From these caissons several office and luxury residential towers climb high into the NYC skyline. But the enticement for both visitors and residents is the 28 acres of elevated parkland that is growing off the gigantic platforms over the rail yard with connections to the High Line and the waterfront Hudson River Park.
The Shed
At the heart of this mammoth project is what promises to be the city’s most outstanding new arts venue and cultural anchor for the entire West Side, the futuristic Shed.
What greets the visitor is a translucent Teflon polymer “quilt-like” edifice held in place by a diagonal-grid steel structure connected to the Plaza by six-foot diameter wheels locked within parallel tracks. Closer inspection reveals a giant carapace; a kinetic sculpture that when deployed glides away from the base building, called the Bloomberg, to enclose the adjacent plaza into a climatecontrolled performance space (now named the McCourt) to accommodate a 1,200-member audience. The number can be doubled by opening up the column-free galleries in the Bloomberg. The spaces were named to honour the benefactors of the project including former Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and the philanthropic McCourt and Tisch families.
Designed by NY architects Diller Scofidio + Renfro (DS+R) in collaboration with the Rockwell Group, the Shed is inspired by the industrial past of the High Line and the Westside Railyard: Movement is achieved by simple gantry crane technology – a rack and pinion drive commonly found in shipping ports and railway systems – moves the shell forward and back. Deployment takes approximately five minutes and is a spectacle in itself. When retracted, the 19,500-square-foot plaza is open public space used for outdoor programming including film projection on the eastern façade. Meanwhile the Bloomberg’s 200,000-square-foot space spread over eight levels is home to several multi-use galleries, a 500-seat theatre, rehearsal studios and creative lab for young artists.
The Shed’s spaces are undoubtedly an engineering marvel, but its success clearly hinges on the abilities of visionary artistic director and chief executive, Alex Poots, who dreams of making this the most sought-after venue that will draw both established and emerging artists and performers from across the world. For the Shed’s opening in April, the filmmaker Steve McQueen is scheduled to present the first in a series of concerts called “Soundtrack of America,” a family tree of musicians of colour.
Vessel
Next to the Shed is another attention grabber, a steel sculpture dubbed the Vessel that rises 150 feet above the square as a vertical public space composed of a geometric pattern of 154 interconnecting flights of stairs with a total of 2,500 individual steps and 80 landings offering a one mile-long climbing experience with unique West Side views. Designed by Heatherwick Studio in London, the sculpture rises from a 50-foot diameter base and tapers out to a 150-foot diameter opening to sky and is clad in a polished copper-coloured skin. It is scheduled to open in March and expected to be a huge draw for both residents and visitors.
The Spur at the Highline
Another unveiling this summer that fans await with anticipation is The Spur, the final section of the High Line that extends east along 30th Street and terminates above 10th Avenue. This section includes a large plaza for art installations and public programming as well as areas for seating and gathering. The piece de resistance is two oversized “tilted” planters that feature a lush, immersive woodland environment, a spokesperson for the architect, DS+R, reveals.
New Statue of Liberty Museum
Another unveiling this summer is the New Statue of Liberty Museum consisting of three galleries and a green roof designed by New York architects FX Collaborative “as a garden pavilion that extends the formal pedestrian mall up and on top of its structure by way of monumental granite steps, culminate in sweeping, panoramic views of Lady Liberty, lower Manhattan, and all of New York Harbour.” The roof is planted with native meadow grasses that create a habitat for local and migrating birds.
The Immersive Theater is a dramatic, 8- to 10-minute multi-media experience unfolding the story of the statue and the ideal she represents and offering a virtual fly-through that ascends the statue that recreates interior views and sounds compelling visitors to contemplate Liberty today.
In the Engagement Gallery visitors will be able to explore what took place in the warehouse where Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi built the statue. A series of displays offer a step-by-step process of Liberty’s construction, from small plaster model to the copper sheets pounded on massive negative moulds to create the Statue’s final form. Visitors delve deep into stories about the Statue’s history, design, and role in the world, exploring the multifaceted, sometimes contested ideal of Liberty through artifacts, graphics, and interactive media.
The Inspiration Gallery invites visitors to express their views by adding a selfportrait and collage of inspirational images to an ever-growing digital experience called Becoming Liberty plus an up-close view of Liberty’s most iconic symbol – her original torch – which was relocated to the Gallery late last year. The tall glass walls offer magnificent views of the Statue of Liberty herself set against a stunning backdrop of the New York City skyline. The museum is due to open in May 2019 and entrance will be free with the purchase of a ferry ticket to visit Liberty and Ellis islands.
Pier 55
Another futuristic public park and outdoor amphitheatre, Pier 55, due to open late next year or early 2021 is designed by Heatherwick Studio in London and financed by NY businessman and philanthropist Barry Diller and wife, designer Diane von Furstenberg, who support many NY cultural and public space initiatives.
Inspired by the hundreds of wooden structural remains of the old Hudson piers, Heatherwick says the idea evolved to extend the new concrete piles skywards fusing as they meet to form the topography of the park.
The ambitious project is taking shape with the first concrete piles, known as “pots”, being assembled in the water. A total of 280 “pots” will rise out of the water to eventually create a 2.4-acre undulating park. The “pots” are being fabricated at an upstate facility using custom foam moulds with the tallest reaching 30 feet and will weigh up to 90 tons. Segments are trucked to a marine terminal for assembly and put on barges to make the journey to the site on the river where a 350-ton crane hoists them into place.
When completed the Pier will be home to a 700-seat amphitheatre, a smaller 200-seat performance space and a landscape filled with more than 100 species of indigenous trees and plants creating another must-visit in this city that keeps reinventing itself with compelling spaces that invigorate and excite, educate and entertain.