The West Podium Art Wall manifests a sublime presence among the multiplicity of towers and the sculpture occupying the center of the plaza.
WEST PODIUM ART WALL
NEW YORK CITY, USA
2019
BackImages
OPENING DAY
OPENING DAY
SITE DIAGRAM
SITE SEEN FROM THE WEST OVER THE RAIL YARD
CONCEPT
NORTH EDGE DETAIL
Description
The Hudson Yards project is a new 26-acre neighborhood on the west side of Manhattan built over a working rail yard. James Carpenter Design Associates was commissioned by Related Urban to design the art wall for the primary retail building which also functions as a “backdrop” for a public square dense with activity. Similar in size to the Main Branch of the New York Public Library’s Bryant Park façade, the West Podium Art Wall is 300’ feet long and 90’ high cable-net that incorporates 504 custom laminated curved glass panels.
The defining element of the art wall is the inverted “J” of the curved glass geometry which reorganizes reflected views of the sky, emphasizing a buoyant horizontality that engages the viewer with a sensitive juxtaposition of sky and landscape views within the central plaza. The repetitive glass geometry and optics of the glass creates an astonishing relationship with the sky while the horizontality of the wall unifies the building. Standing as a serene counterpoint the art wall pays homage to the western sky and setting sun by harnessing the calm unfolding of nature’s daily and season cycles within the dynamic context of New York City.
Client: Related Companies
Architect: KPF