For over three years, New York City has anticipated the debut of Hudson Yard’s enigmatic “Shed”: the eight-level, 200,000-square-foot art center with a massive, telescoping outer shell. On April 5, the new center will finally open its doors, hosting a variety of exhibitions, lectures, and events related to the performing arts, visual arts, and pop culture.
The innovative building was designed by Diller Scofidio + Renfro, lead architect, and Rockwell Group, collaborating architect. Its sleek, flexible, and mobile layout was inspired by the industrial past of the High Line and West Side Rail Yard, and the building’s form is intended to physically transform depending on artists’ visions. Its blueprint includes two levels of gallery space, a multipurpose theater, a rehearsal space, a creative lab, and a 9,500-square-foot sky-lit space for large-scale events.
Reminiscent of a train car, the building’s semi-transparent outer shell can glide along rails onto a neighboring plaza to nearly double the building’s footprint for grandiose concerts and performances. The massive light, sound, and temperature-controlled hall can be used as a blank slate to support artists’ and performers’ most creative and ambitious ideas.
“We have built a home where established and emerging artists working in all disciplines can create new work in ways that we cannot even imagine,” said The Shed’s Artistic Director and CEO, Alex Poots. The venue will host an assortment of events ranging from comedy shows to concerts. The first year of programming will include lectures by filmmaker Boots Riley, a Björk concert directed by John Tiffany, and a Kung Fu musical featuring songs by Sia.
The building will be named to “The Bloomberg Building” after a generous, $75 million donation from Michael Bloomberg, the former mayor who oversaw the dramatic gentrification of Manhattan’s Westside and Hudson Yards.
With only three months until its launch, The Shed will go through the final phases of construction, which includes the installation of metal cladding and other architectural finishes.
Correction: A previous version of this article said that The Shed’s name will change, but only the building the institution is housed in will be known at The Bloomberg Building.
