Public to name giant $150m New York City staircase
The name for the yet-to-be-opened giant climbable staircase in central New York City is up in the air with planners now saying the public will decide.
Comprised of 154 intricately interconnecting flights of stairs – almost 2,500 individual steps and 80 landings – the stand-alone staircase was originally named ‘Vessel’ but at times also called the Hudson Yards Staircase.
The structure is designed to encourage visitors to climb the space and experience the city from different vantage points. Plans for the design were approved back in 2016.
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Set to open on March 15, 2019, this continuous chain of open spaces on the West Side runs from Gansevoort Street to Times Square, making it the largest network of public spaces developed in Manhattan since Central Park.
The many landing areas inside the Vessel. Render: Forbes Massie
A representative from building company Related told US website Sqft that ‘Vessel’ was always a placeholder name until the public experienced it: “We’re excited to have the public help us with a name.”
Although there’s no word on exactly how the structure will be named, the public can apply to climb it via the Hudson Yards website.
We’ve got our fingers crossed for another hilarious Boaty McBoatface situation.
The Vessel construction will sit in the centre of the biggest public space project since the construction of Central Park. Render: Forbes Massie
These 3D renderings show the 1.6km climbing space will “lift the public up”, offering a new of way for tourists and locals alike to experience views of New York’s iconic skyline.
London-based designer Thomas Heatherwick is responsible for the epic design, and says he doesn’t want it to just be something to look at: “We wanted to make something that everybody could use, touch, relate to.”
“Influenced by images we had seen of Indian stepwells, made from hundreds of flights of stairs going down into the ground, an idea emerged to use flights of stairs as building elements,” he said back in 2016.
