The panoramic sculpture has been closed to the public after its third suicide episode in less than a year. The monumental honeycomb structure had opened in March 2019 to Heatherwickvs design at the center of the Hudson Yards residential area. The 2,500 interconnected steps and 80 landings rise into a plaza designed by Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects, offering views of a 4-acre former train depot area now converted into 1.5 million square feet of commercial and residential space, with spaces and buildings designed by Diller Scofidio + Renfro, SOM, KFP and Foster + Partners.
After third suicide, the Vessel closes to the public
Heatherwick Studio’s scenic structure in New York Citty will temporarily close to the public after less than a year after it opened.
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- La redazione di Domus
- 15 January 2021
The first tragedy occurred in early February 2020, an event that led to a call for higher railings but which were never replaced. In December 2020, just before Christmas, a woman took her own life in the same way. On January 11, less than a month later, a 21-year-old young man from Texas jumped from the 46-foot-tall structure.
The Heatherwick Studio work will now remain temporarily closed to the public while they consult with suicide prevention experts and psychiatrists on the steps to take.