The 8-level public centrepiece of the new Hudson Yards development opened to the public today in New York City. With 2,500 steps, 80 landings and views across the Hudson River and Manhattan, Vessel is expected to attract approximately two million visitors a year.

Inspired by Indian stepwells, Vessel rises from a base that is 50 feet in diameter and widens to 150 feet at the top.  The 75 interlocking pieces of the steel structure, fabricated by Cimolai in Italy, took over two years to assemble onsite and together offers a one-mile vertical climbing experience.

It is the central feature of the main public square in the Hudson Yards development, one of the largest real estate projects in American history, which has transformed a former rail yard in Manhattan’s Upper West Side into a new neighbourhood, with more than five acres of new public spaces and gardens.

Tickets to Vessel are available to reserve free of charge here.

The full press kit is available here.

Read Architectural Digest USA’s coverage of Vessel here.