The Bloomberg Building

The Shed's south-facing façade at dusk, with the building's movable shell lit and glowing from within
The Shed’s Bloomberg Building, September 2020. Photo: Brett Beyer. Project Design Credit: Diller Scofidio + Renfro, Lead Architect, and Rockwell Group, Collaborating Architect.
In The Works
Watch The Shed’s Eight-Million-Pound Structure Transform

6 months ago

The Shed Moves: Behind the Scenes

Design

The Shed’s Bloomberg Building, designed by Diller Scofidio + Renfro, Lead Architect, and Rockwell Group, Collaborating Architect, is an innovative 200,000-square-foot structure that physically transforms to support artists’ most ambitious ideas.

The McCourt, The Shed’s most iconic space, is formed when the movable outer shell is deployed over the adjoining plaza to create a 17,000-square-foot light-, sound-, and temperature-controlled hall for large-scale performances, installations, and events. The empty space can hold an audience of up to 2,220 and accommodate a standing audience of approximately 1,200 (900 in the lower McCourt). (Please note: During events, the 2,200 capacity does not account for staging, back-of-house set-up, etc.)

The Level 2 and Level 4 Galleries, totaling 25,000 square feet, are expansive, column-free, museum-quality spaces.

The Kenneth C. Griffin Theater, on Level 6, can seat 500 people and be subdivided into more intimate spaces to suit the needs of a range of productions and installations.

The Tisch Skylights and Lab, on the top floor, are striking spaces for events, rehearsals, and artist development that seat approximately 450 people, with standing room for 750.

The Plaza can be used as an outdoor public space for programming when the movable shell is retracted to nest over the base building. It features The Shed’s first visual art commission, IN FRONT OF ITSELF, a large-scale, site-specific work by Lawrence Weiner fabricated with custom paving stones.

The movable shell travels on a double-wheel track based on gantry crane technology commonly found in shipping ports and railway systems. A rack-and-pinion drive moves the shell forward and back on four single-axle and two double-axle bogie wheels that measure six feet in diameter; the deployment of the shell takes approximately five minutes. The exposed steel diagrid frame of the movable shell is clad in translucent pillows of durable and lightweight Teflon-based polymer, called ethylene tetrafluoroethylene (ETFE). With the thermal properties of insulating glass at a fraction of the weight, the translucent ETFE allows light to pass through and can withstand hurricane-force winds. Measuring almost 70 feet (21 meters) in length in some areas, The Shed’s ETFE panels are some of the largest ever produced.

The Shed physically transforms to create dynamic spaces for artist’s loftiest ambitions. Animation courtesy Diller Scofidio + Renfro.

Design Team

Diller Scofidio + Renfro, Lead Architect, is an interdisciplinary design studio that integrates architecture, the visual arts, and the performing arts. The firm established its identity through theoretical and self-generated projects before leading significant architecture projects such as the redesign of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts and the High Line in New York, and The Broad museum in downtown Los Angeles. The studio’s current and recent projects also include the London Centre for Music and V&A East Collection and Research Centre, both in London; Adelaide Contemporary in South Australia; Zaryadye Park in Moscow; the Museum of Image and Sound on Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro; and the renovation and expansion of MoMA and Roy and Diana Vagelos Education Center, both in New York. For their commitment to merging art, architecture, and culture, founding partners Elizabeth Diller and Ricardo Scofidio were the first in the field of architecture to be recognized with the MacArthur Foundation Fellowship.

Rockwell Group, Collaborating Architect, is a 250-person cross-disciplinary architecture and design firm that emphasizes invention and thought leadership. The studio merges architecture, theater, craftsmanship, and technology to create unique narratives for its work, which includes hospitality, luxury residential, airport terminals, cultural institutions, set design, products, exhibitions, and festivals. Recent projects include the TED Theater (Vancouver, BC), NeueHouse (New York, Hollywood, and London), and set designs for On The Twentieth Century, Kinky Boots, and She Loves Me, for which David Rockwell won the 2016 Tony Award for Best Scenic Design. Other honors include the AIA New York Chapter President’s Award, the Cooper Hewitt National Design Award, and the Presidential Design Award.

The Shed’s Bloomberg Building, September 2020. Photo: Brett Beyer. Project Design Credit: Diller Scofidio + Renfro, Lead Architect, and Rockwell Group, Collaborating Architect.
The Shed's south- and east-facing façades at dusk, with the building's movable shell lit and glowing from within
The Shed’s Bloomberg Building as seen from the High Line, February 2019. Photo: Brett Beyer. Project Design Credit: Diller Scofidio + Renfro, Lead Architect, and Rockwell Group, Collaborating Architect.
The Shed's Bloomberg Building seen from the High Line, February 2019
The Shed’s Bloomberg Building, December 2018. Photo: Brett Beyer. Project Design Credit: Diller Scofidio + Renfro, Lead Architect, and Rockwell Group, Collaborating Architect.
The Shed building in December 2018
The Shed’s Bloomberg Building as seen from the High Line, October 2018. Photo: Brett Beyer. Project Design Credit: Diller Scofidio + Renfro, Lead Architect, and Rockwell Group, Collaborating Architect.
The Shed building, as seen from the High Line
The Shed as seen from the High Line, February 2018. Photo: Ed Lederman. Project Design Credit: Diller Scofidio + Renfro, Lead Architect, and Rockwell Group, Collaborating Architect.
The Shed building, as seen from the High Line
The Shed under construction, February 2018. Photo: Ed Lederman. Project Design Credit: Diller Scofidio + Renfro, Lead Architect, and Rockwell Group, Collaborating Architect.
The Shed building under construction in February 2018
The Shed under construction as seen from the south, February 2018. Photo: Timothy Schenck. Project Design Credit: Diller Scofidio + Renfro, Lead Architect, and Rockwell Group, Collaborating Architect.
The Shed building in February 2018
The Shed under construction, view of The McCourt, February 2018. Photo: Timothy Schenck. Project Design Credit: Diller Scofidio + Renfro, Lead Architect, and Rockwell Group, Collaborating Architect.
The Shed building under construction February 2018
The Shed’s movable shell, May 2017. Photo: Timothy Schenck. Project Design Credit: Diller Scofidio + Renfro, Lead Architect, and Rockwell Group, Collaborating Architect.
The Shed's movable shell in May 2017
The Shed as seen from the High Line, November 2017. Photo: Timothy Schenck. Project Design Credit: Diller Scofidio + Renfro, Lead Architect, and Rockwell Group, Collaborating Architect.
The Shed building, as seen from the High Line
The Shed’s Bloomberg Building, September 2020. Photo: Brett Beyer. Project Design Credit: Diller Scofidio + Renfro, Lead Architect, and Rockwell Group, Collaborating Architect.

Construction Timeline

Spring 2019
The Shed opens to the public on April 5.
Winter 2018 – 19
Construction of The Shed is nearly complete. The final phase includes installation of metal cladding and related architectural finishes at the escalators and corridor areas; placement of polished concrete topping slabs on all base building floors; installation of the paving stones that form Lawrence Weiner’s site-specific artwork IN FRONT OF ITSELF in The Shed’s Plaza; installation of The McCourt’s theatrical shades; and completion of the building’s mechanical systems. The Shed is pursuing a LEED certification from the U.S. Green Building Council, which is expected in early 2019.
Fall 2018

Recently completed, glass windows are now installed along the length of the building’s 30th Street lobby. Installation of the plaza’s paving stones will begin in November, which will form The Shed’s first visual art commission, IN FRONT OF ITSELF, by Lawrence Weiner.

With the ETFE pillows completely installed on the east and north façades of the building’s movable shell, the last of the pillows and the shell’s glass doors will be put in place in the coming months.

Summer 2018
The Shed’s exterior will continue to transform through August as installation of the ETFE (ethylene tetrafluoroethylene) pillows on the building’s movable shell proceeds. Escalators will also be delivered and installed over the coming months.
Spring 2018
The building’s exterior dramatically changes as the curtain wall and façade are put into place. Translucent pillows of durable ETFE (ethylene tetrafluoroethylene) will cover the steel frame of The Shed’s movable shell. With the thermal properties of insulating glass at a fraction of the weight, The Shed’s ETFE panels will be some of the largest ever produced measuring almost 70 feet in length in some areas. Almost all of the major operational equipment for the building has arrived at the site, and mechanical trades are now connecting it to ductwork, conduit, and piping throughout the structure.
2008 – 17

2017
Steel is erected for the movable shell; bogie wheel assemblies and façades for the base building and movable shell are installed; interior finishing begins.

2016
Steel is erected for the base building; the rails for the movable shell are installed.

2015
Construction of The Shed begins with the prefabrication of the structural steel.

2014
Alex Poots is named as The Shed’s founding artistic director and CEO.

2013
The Shed is incorporated as an independent non-profit organization.

2011
Design for The Shed (originally known as Culture Shed) is unveiled.

2008
Hudson Yards Development Corporation, created by the City of New York to transform the West Side Railyard into a mixed-use district, puts out a Request for Proposals for the cultural use of a lot on the south-eastern edge of the railyard, adjacent to the High Line. HYDC selects Diller Scofidio + Renfro in collaboration with Rockwell Group to develop their pioneering concept for a future-forward expandable and flexible building that could house the visual arts, performing arts, and creative industries under one roof.

Consultants & Contractors

Consultants

Diller Scofidio + Renfro
Lead Architect

Rockwell Group
Collaborating Architect

Sciame Construction
Construction Managers

Levien & Company
Sterling Project Development
Owner’s Representatives

Geller & Company
Financial Management and Consulting

Betty Chen, BYC Projects
Project Manager and Owner’s Advisor

Thornton Tomasetti
Structure, Façade Engineering

Hardesty & Hanover
Kinetics Engineering

Jaros, Baum & Bolles Consulting Engineers
MEP and Fire Protection Engineering

Akustiks
Acoustics, Audio Visual, and Structured Cabling Engineering

Fisher Dachs Associates
Theater Planning and Design

Neil Kutner
Theater Programming and Operations Consultant

Adam F. Weiss
Strategies for Catering Success

Samuel Anderson Architects
Museum Programming and Operations Consultant

Vidaris Energy & Environmental
Energy Modeling and LEED Consulting

Tillotson Design Associates
Lighting Design

Code Consultants, Inc.
Code, Fire, and Accessibility Consulting

James R. Gainfort
Waterproofing Consulting

Dharam Consulting
Cost Estimating

HAKS
Special Inspections

RPO, Inc.
Building Code Consulting and Expediting

Beckelman+Capalino
Project Manager

Simpson Gumpertz & Heger
Exterior Envelope Commissioning

Langan Engineering
Environmental and Geotechnical Consulting

Dalzell Creative Group
Events Consulting

Van Duesen & Associates
Vertical Transportation Consulting

Construction Specifications, Inc.
Specifications

Entek Engineering, LLC
Façade Maintenance Systems Engineering

Ross & Baruzzini
Security Consulting

RLA Communications Engineering, LLC
Digital Antenna System Engineering

AKF Group
Building Systems and LEED Commissioning

Contractors

C&S WALLS
Fixed Building Façade

Cimolai S.P.A
Structural Steel and Kinetics

Vector Foiltec LLC
Shed Façade (ETFE)

Long Island Concrete, Inc.
Excavations and Foundations

ABCO-Peerless
Fire Protection and Sprinkler System

B&G Electrical Contractors
Electrical

Thyssenkrupp Elevator Americas
Elevators and Escalators

Villa Construction, Inc.
Superstructure Concrete

Siemens
Building Maintenance System

ASM Mechanical Systems
HVAC (Airside)

A.D. Winston Corp.
HVAC (Waterside)

WDF, Inc.
Plumbing

Chelsea Lighting, Inc.
Light Fixtures

All-Safe LLC
Hoist and Scaffolding

King Hoist
Platforming and Scaffolding

Peace of Mind Technologies, LLC
Security System

National Fireproofing Insulation Co., Inc.
Spray Fireproofing

R&R Scaffold
Building Maintenance Units

Arbon Equipment Corp.
Loading Dock Equipment

Salvio Construction Corp.
Masonry

FCS Group, LLC
Intumescent Paint

Cord Contracting
Rough Carpentry, Drywall, and Ceilings

Rite-Way
Demolition

City Safe Compliance Corp.
Site Safety

FMB Inc.
Steel Stairs

Amphibious Medics
On-site Medical Services

External Wall and Building Consultants (EWBC)
Horizontal Netting

HB Communications
Audio Visual Systems

HUFCOR
Operable Partitions

WOHL Diversified Services
Spray Insulation

Universal Services Group, Ltd
Roofing

United Structural Works, Inc.
Miscellaneous Steel

Director Door Industries, Ltd
Hollow Metal Doors and Hardware

Eagle One Roofing
Waterproofing

Extravega
Interior Glazing

Accurate Specialty Metal Fabricators
Ornamental Metal, Blackened Steel, and Miscellaneous Steel

The Shed's bogie wheels pictured with snow on the ground. These wheels carry The Shed's moveable shell as it deploys over the Plaza and nests back over the fixed building.
Close-up of The Shed’s bogie wheels, March 2017. Photo: Timothy Schenck. Project Design Credit: Diller Scofidio + Renfro, Lead Architect, and Rockwell Group, Collaborating Architect.
The Bloomberg Building
545 West 30th Street
New York, NY 10001

info@theshed.org
(646) 455-3494

Connected by
The Bloomberg Building
545 West 30th Street
New York, NY 10001

info@theshed.org
(646) 455-3494

Connected by
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