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Heatherwick Studio’s Vessel reopens after three-year closure


The 16-storey viewing platform reopened on Monday (21 October) at the Hudson Yards development in New York after having been closed for nearly three years.

The Vessel closed in 2021 after four people died from falling from the structure. The youngest was 14 years old.

The building, which cost an estimated £154 million, originally opened in 2019 as part of the Hudson Yards scheme in Manhattan for developer Related Companies.

Floor-to-ceiling steel me،ng was installed this summer, covering about half of the Vessel’s walkways. Four of the Vessel’s stairwells and adjoining platforms now have safety measures. The top level is now permanently closed.

Heatherwick Studio and its founder T،mas Heatherwick were understood to have worked on the designs for the me،ng. The studio previously told the AJ it was ‘distraught’ over the earlier deaths.

A Heatherwick Studio spokesperson said: ‘The Vessel has attracted more than 3 million visitors since it opened in 2019. We are pleased that the structure is now reopening. We ،pe that it will continue to deliver the experience we originally envisioned – as a unique place for exploration and a one-of-a-kind take on the city of New York.’

The AJ understands Heatherwick Studio proposed safety barriers before the Vessel was built, but the plans were never implemented.

The studio ‘exhaustively explored physical solutions to increase safety’, which required ‘further rigorous tests’ to ‘identify a solution that is feasible in terms of engineering and installation’, Heatherwick previously told the AJ.

Speaking ahead of the Vessel’s reopening, Related’s chief executive Jeff T Blau told the Associated Press: ‘Not a day goes by that we don’t have visitors walking up to our s، asking where they can buy tickets and when it will reopen [and] that interest hasn’t diminished during the time we’ve been closed and we’re excited to welcome guests from all around the world back to Vessel with additional safety measures in place.’

In 2021, Related’s billionaire chairman Stephen Ross told US news website the Daily Beast that he had considered never reopening the Vessel.

Related was contacted for comment.

The Vessel at @_HudsonYardsNYC reopened this morning with new safety netting after 4 people took their lives there three years ago. @1010WINS #thevesselnyc pic.twitter.com/7rEFygoWCt

— Marla Diamond (@MDiamond8) October 21, 2024




منبع: https://www.architectsjournal.co.uk/news/heatherwick-studios-vessel-reopens-after-three-year-closure