Work has started on an arts centre in New York that is able to expand and contract by changing its envelope.
The design of the centre, known as “the Shed”, was put forward by two local architects, Diller Scofidio + Renfro and the Rockwell Group.
The 18,500 square metre venue has six storeys and can “accommodate the broadest range of performance, visual art, music, and multi-disciplinary work”.
A cultural centre will be encased in a 34m-high outer shell that can slide on rails to double the ground space.
The building includes two large-scale column-free galleries comprising 2,320 square metres of museum-quality space, a 500-seat theater and event and rehearsal spaces.
The project is adjacent to 15 Hudson Yards, a residential tower also designed by Diller Scofidio + Renfro in collaboration with Rockwell Group.
The Shed will be based in the Hudson Yards development in Manhattan, nearby Heatherwick Studio’s $150m public staircase and a $1.4bn office tower from Japanese developer Mitsui Fudosan.
The Shed is due to be completed in 2019.
Images via Rockwell Group
