New York City’s $20 billion, 28-acre Hudson Yards project will feature some of the most advanced infrastructure technology to be found in any building complex in the country.
Among its innovations will be The Shed, a 170,000- to 200,000-sf, $425 million steel-and-glass retractable canopy, mounted on rails that allow the structure to expand and become an independent, multifaceted performance and arts space.
The Real Deal has called The Shed “The Batmobile of Buildings.” Designed by Diller Scofidio + Renfro with Rockwell Group, the six-story structure—once known as Culture Shed—is scheduled to open in 2019 (two years later than expected), just in time to host New York’s Fashion Week.
“It will be the world’s most flexible cultural institution,” says Dan Doctoroff, the former New York Deputy Mayor who is CEO of Sidewalk Labs, a Google-funded technology company that is moving into Hudson Yards and is focused on developing ways to improve city life. Doctoroff is also chairman of the Shed. He told Women’s Wear Daily earlier this year that the idea for The Shed “started when Diane von Furstenberg came to Mayor Bloomberg, me and Patti Harris [another deputy mayor] when we were in office in 2004, saying there is no home for fashion in New York.”
The Real Deal reports that technology will allow The Shed’s retractable canopy to open and close within 15 minutes, and transform from an open-air public space into an indoor venue. It is designed with 25,000 sf of museum-quality space, a 500-seat theater, event and rehearsal space, and an artist lab.
The New York Times reported last month that the nonprofit Shed has started programming some of its upcoming events, including the first of its commissions with conceptual artist Lawrence Weiner, who will produce a new work to be unveiled at the Shed’s opening.
Shed Fly Through Animation from The Shed on Vimeo.
Related Stories
| Jun 18, 2014
Arup uses 3D printing to fabricate one-of-a-kind structural steel components
The firm's research shows that 3D printing has the potential to reduce costs, cut waste, and slash the carbon footprint of the construction sector.
| Jun 16, 2014
6 U.S. cities at the forefront of innovation districts
A new Brookings Institution study records the emergence of “competitive places that are also cool spaces.”
| Jun 13, 2014
First look: BIG's spiraling museum for watchmaker Audemars Piguet
The glass-and-steel pavilion's spiral structure acts as a storytelling device for the company's history.
| Jun 12, 2014
Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects' design selected for new UCSC facility
The planned site is a natural landscape among redwood trees with views over Monterey Bay, a site that the architects have called “one of the most beautiful they have ever worked on.”
| Jun 12, 2014
Austrian university develops 'inflatable' concrete dome method
Constructing a concrete dome is a costly process, but this may change soon. A team from the Vienna University of Technology has developed a method that allows concrete domes to form with the use of air and steel cables instead of expensive, timber supporting structures.
| Jun 11, 2014
David Adjaye’s housing project in Sugar Hill nears completion
A new development in New York's historic Sugar Hill district nears completion, designed to be an icon for the neighborhood's rich history.
| Jun 9, 2014
Green Building Initiative launches Green Globes for Sustainable Interiors program
The new program focuses exclusively on the sustainable design and construction of interior spaces in nonresidential buildings and can be pursued by both building owners and individual lessees of commercial spaces.
| Jun 4, 2014
Want to design a Guggenheim? Foundation launches open competition for proposed Helsinki museum
This is the first time the Guggenheim Foundation has sought a design through an open competition. Anonymous submissions for stage one of the competition are due September 10, 2014.
| Jun 4, 2014
Construction team named for Atlanta Braves ballpark
A joint venture between Barton Malow, Brasfield & Gorrie, Mortenson Construction, and New South Construction will build the Atlanta Braves ballpark, which is scheduled to open in early 2017. Check out the latest renderings of the plan.
| May 30, 2014
Riding high: L.A., Chicago working on their version of the High Line elevated park
Cities around the U.S. are taking notice of New York's highly popular High Line elevated park system. Both Chicago and Los Angeles are currently working on High Line-like projects.