Diller Scofidio + Renfro's The Shed art centre has opened as a "perpetual work-in-progress". The eight-floor building offers two levels of gallery space, as well as a theatre, and rehearsal and event areas. When deployed, a second roof can be rolled out to cover an adjoining plaza, doubling the building's footprint to a capacity of 3,000. The hood is equipped with black-out shades, rigging and power points, making it suitable for performances. 

When the shell is retracted over the roof of the building, the area is returned to being a publicly accessible space. Back-of-house areas extend into the base of 15 Hudson Yards, a residential tower also designed by DIller Scofidio + Renfro for the Hudsons Yard development.  

“Eleven years in the making, The Shed is opening its doors to the public as a perpetual work-in-progress. I see the building as an ‘architecture of infrastructure,’ all muscle, no fat, and responsive to the ever-changing needs of artists into a future we cannot predict," says Elizabeth Diller. "Success for me would mean that the building would stand up to challenges presented by artists, while challenging them back in a fruitful dialogue.”