Thomas Heatherwick's 'Vessel' tops out in Hudson Yards

The centerpiece of Hudson Yards’ future public square and gardens, Vessel, has topped out. Developers Related Companies and Oxford Properties Group celebrated the milestone eight months after construction got underway on the Thomas Heatherwick-designed interactive sculpture.

“Vessel is one of the most complex pieces of steelwork ever made,” Heatherwick said in a statement. “Over the next few months we’ll focus on installing the final details of the structure, as its paving, balustrades, lighting and cladding come together to complete this different kind of public space.”

We’ve been following this $200 million project closely since installation started in April. By August the structure was just about a third of the way to the top, and last month, the structure was nearing its full height.

Today Vessel stands 150 feet tall and features 154 interconnecting flights of stairs with 2,500 steps and 80 landings. Vessel was fabricated in Italy and arrived in six separate shipments after making a 15-day journey on sea. These shipments then had a brief stay in Newark before they were transported on a five-hour journey on the Hudson, to the construction site.

Vessel will be part of the Public Square and Gardens at Hudson Yards, which is set to debut in 2019. Designed by Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects in collaboration with Heatherwick Studio, this massive green space will span five acres and feature 28,000 plants and 200 mature trees, among other features. Once complete, this public space will offer up connections to the High Line and Hudson Park & Boulevard.

UPDATE: Related Companies has released a time-lapse video of Vessel going up in Hudson Yards. Check it out below:

• Hudson Yards's $200M 'Vessel' edges closer to its full height [Curbed]
• Hudson Yards's $200M 'Vessel' is on the rise [Curbed]
• First look at Hudson Yards’s enormous, interactive ‘public landmark’ [Curbed]