The Vessel, the dark story of suicide behind New York’s new icon

new York is a city that offers both tourism and its inhabitants constantly new attractions and Vessel is one of them. It is a construction located in the heart of Manhattan, which opened its doors to the public in March 2019. Yet this picturesque 16-story belvedere has been the scene of several tragedies: four people committed suicide there, the last of which a few days ago and this forced the place to be closed temporarily.

The latest victim was a 14-year-old who attended the scene with his family and died when he was kicked out of the building. “We are heartbroken by this tragedy and we accompany their loved ones in the feeling. We are conducting a thorough investigation. The ship is currently closed“said Kimberly Winston, spokesperson for property developer Hudson Yards, in charge of the site.

The episode was recorded despite the new security measures imposed by the managers of the place, since The Vessel it remained closed from january to may of this year also due to suicide and this forced the experts to consult what they could do to avoid these events.

Since its reopening, it has been established that visitors can only enter if they are accompanied by another person. In addition, the presence of security guards has tripled trained to detect behaviors that may indicate a person is considering suicide and posters were posted on mental health resources.

But that was not enough and in fact those responsible for the point of view were questioned, because they had been recommended place higher barriers to make the structure a safer space. Something similar to what they did on the Golden Gate Bridge in California and the George Washington – which connects New York to New Jersey – where networks were used to try to prevent tragedies at high level structures .

From Heatherwick Studio, in charge of its design for The Vessel, they said they were working with Related Companies, the real estate company run by billionaire Stephen M. Ross, to find “physical” solutions to the problem. “The team explores in depth something that is feasible in terms of engineering and installation», They indicated according to the CNN. They are thus seeking to reopen it to the public.

Beyond the solutions studied, Jacob Alspector, distinguished professor at the Spitzer School of Architecture, City College of New York, warned that the main problem with the vessel is the design and location of the structure surrounded by concrete and glass skyscrapers.

“It’s like a nightmare image. Not a friendly, life-affirming structure. It’s a bit cold, steep. What is the purpose of entering it? Just walk up and down? “, He assured.

Incidents recorded at The Vessel

Since its inauguration, four people have committed suicide on the site. The first of them was a 19-year-old who on February 1, 2020, jumped from the sixth floor of the structure, was seriously injured and died while being transferred to hospital.

Almost 11 months later, on December 22, a 24-year-old woman jumped from the top of the structure and also died. The third case occurred on January 11, 2021 and the victim was a 21-year-old.

Now, with the recent death of the 14-year-old on July 29, the venue has once again closed to the public.

Characteristics of the vessel

The ship was inaugurated on March 15, 2019 and was in charge of the English designer Thomas Heatherwick. The construction value reached $ 200 million and was touted as one of the centerpieces of the largest private urban project in the history of United States.

The structure has 16 floors and 154 flights of stairsIn addition to 80 platforms allowing visitors to enjoy views of New York and the nearby Hudson River.