Dubbed as a “city within a city,” Hudson Yards is currently the largest private development in the United States, being built atop 28 acres of the active rail yard. With a projected completion date of 2026, the complex of architectural feats stands to be completed within 18 years.

On, April 5, 2019, one of its buildings opens its doors to the public. Nestled at the foot of the majestic tower that is 15 Hudson Yards is an eight-story-high venue for art mongers, curators, and artists alike.
Designed by Diller Scofidio + Renfro (DSR) and Rockwell Group, The Shed features a telescopic roof can be extended and retracted as function demands. The 200,000-square-foot new addition to Manhattan’s Hudson Yards serves as the cultural center for the complex.

Once the movable roof is extended, the size of the art complex is doubled. The intention of the designers is to have the building transform into a space that caters to the needs of the artists that will utilize it. The extended telescoping outer shell creates a flexible-use 11,700-square-foot event space in McCourt, the plaza neighboring the cultural center. Black shades can be rolled down to darken the interiors of the enclosed extension.

Elizabeth Diller, a co-founder of DSR, explained the need for the design to be flexible without having to use common and generic methods. Diller later added that an artist will use the building in a way that differs from the way another artist uses the venue. She pointed out that artists of today could think differently from artists in the future.

The architectural feat’s movable shell is a mesh of exposed steel diagrid frame while the panels are made of translucent ethylene tetrafluoroethylene (EFTE), a lightweight and durable material. The panels were installed to look like pillows.

Having four double-height levels called two, four, six, and eight, the cultural center interior features column-free galleries and the isolated Griffin Theatre.

The Shed can be accessed through its main entrance located on the north side of West 30th Street where the lobby, Cedric’s (an eatery), and a bookstore is also located. The second entrance can be accessed near Hudson Yard’s plaza and The Vessel, the monumental sculpture of a winding network of stairs.
The glass curtains hanging between The Shed and The McCourt are operable and can be fully opened to merge the two spaces.

The concept for The Shed was lobbied by Diller 11 years ago when the area was still underdeveloped. Some know The Shed as Culture Shed.