Top of the World
Vessel (TKA) is a structure and landmark that was built as part of the Hudson Yards Redevelopment Project in Manhattan, New York, New York. Construction began in April 2017 and opened on March 15, 2019.Designed by British designer Thomas Heatherwick, the elaborate honeycomb structure rises 16 stories and has 154 flights of stairs, 2,500 steps and 80 landings for visitors to climb. The ship is the main feature of the 5-acre (2.0 ha) public square at Hudson Yards. Financed by Hudson Yards developer Related Companies, its final cost is expected to be $200 million. Vessel is a 16-story, 150-foot (46 m) high structure of stairs connected between the Hudson Yards buildings, located in Hudson Yards' 5-acre (2.0 ha) Public Plaza. Designed by Thomas Heatherwick, Vessel has 154 flights, 2.500 steps and 80 landings that extend from its 15-meter wide base to its 46-meter wide apex (making it as high as it is wide at its apex), with a total length of the stairs of more than 1 mile (1.6 km).The structure also has ramps and an elevator to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.Stephen Ross, the executive director of the Hudson Yards Developer-Related Companies, said its unusual shape was intended to make the structure stand out like a "12-month-old Christmas tree" The copper-clad steps, arranged like a jungle gym and modeled after Indian burrows, can accommodate 1,000 people at a time. Heatherwick said he intends for visitors to climb the structure and explore it as if it were a jungle gym. At the top of the structure, visitors can see the Hudson River.
