As Manhattan’s popular installation turns into suicide hotspot, architects discuss the role of design in preventing and inspiring tragedies
People take photos and look at the “Vessel” in Hudson Yards New York City. The honeycomb-shaped installation composed of 154 staircases, has seen a spate of suicides since its construction in 2019. Pic/Getty Images
In 2019, when the Vessel, a honeycomb-shaped installation composed of 154 staircases, opened to the public, its architect Thomas Heatherwick told the press, “The whole point was to be lifting up hundreds of people and thousands of people every day. Like the Italian promenade…to share in an extraordinary experience. It’s not finished until you’re on it. We’re waiting and watching what’s going to happen.” Heatherwick, who built the structure as the centrepiece of the Hudson Yards development project, must have least expected the morbid turn of events.
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In December 2020, a 24-year-old woman from New York died after jumping from the structure, following the suicide of a 19-year-old man in February 2019 before the structure’s official opening. After the third suicide in January this year, safety checks were introduced by Related Companies, the firm that controls Hudson Yards. A USD 10 entrance fee was introduced and a rule now forbids visitors from climbing the structure alone. This too proved insufficient. A 14-year-old boy jumped to his death from the Vessel in July this year, in the presence of his family.
A statue of a man comforting a person is placed to dissuade suicides on Mapo Bridge, a common site for suicides, over the Han river in Seoul. South Korea, with a population of 52 million people in 2019, had the highest suicide rate in the OECD. Pic/Getty Images
The chain of suicides have led to discussions on whether architectural designs need to be altered to dissuade jumpers. Architect Pranav Iyer, Design Principal, Ground 11 architects, believes every space has an intentional impact on its users. It comes from a series of emotions that the space is designed to elicit. “These emotional responses to the space or design are general in intent, and have a long historical precedent. This includes the large, imposing colonial edifices designed to make the human feel ‘insignificant’, to the LightHouse of Alexandria, which was a symbol of strength for the citizens of the city, and invited all to its warm embrace from across the seas.” “Inspiring” suicide is not one of them.
He says spatial characteristics such as form, colour, lighting, material used, textures, smells and sounds, all have an impact on the five senses and propel the mind to create a response to the space. “That is, in a simple word, the vibe of the space. The intentional impact is usually simple, direct, linear. The other, unintended impact is individual, and may range from euphoria to depression, and can veer off the ‘normal’ in any tangent that is based on individual experiences, memory and recall,” he explains. It’s a minuscule minority who react to a space in a much more visceral manner, sometimes with tragic consequences, he adds.
The Bandra-Worli Sea Link has been a problematic spot. Since 2009, there have been nine suicides from the 5.6 km bridge. This was before the MSRDC, which maintains it, initiated efforts to prevent disasters. Pic/Ashish Raje
Closer home, the Bandra-Worli Sea Link, has been a problematic spot. Since 2009, there have been nine suicides from the 5.6 km cable stayed bridge. This was before the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation Limited (MSRDC), which maintains it, initiated efforts to prevent future disasters. The plan included posting more security guards along the North and South Via Ducts, increasing the number of CCTVs (from six to 64) and levying a penalty on motorists who stop on the bridge.
Historical sites too, have seen a fair share of tragedy. In 1986, Hyderabad’s Char Minar was shut after a family of five jumped to death. It was finally opened to the public after 17 years. The Archaeological Survey of India, which is the custodian of the monument, decided not to allow visitors beyond the first floor. “There is a difference between the suicide patterns seen in the young and the elderly,” observes Dr Sonal Anand, psychiatrist at Wockhardt Hospital, Mira Road. “The youth tend to be more impulsive, because they lack life experience. Often, they aren’t even sure whether they want to do it. They sometimes survive, and don’t attempt taking their life again. Some even choose famous spots to make a statement. For example, to prove a point to your partner if it’s a case of heartbreak.” The seniors, on the other hand, are measured even in death. “There will be a suicide note, or they may do it at a desolate place and time so that the chances of someone saving them are next to nil.”
Ar Khozema Chitalwala
The tendency to jump off an architectural hotspot is something that could appeal more to the young, thinks Dr Anand. Opportunity and easy access are contributing factors. Modifying the built environment with obstacles can be a deterrent, she adds. “A last-minute phone call, or even reading a powerful, motivational message can make a difference. That being said, these strategies work to deter someone from impulsive suicide.”
Iyer agrees that the ease of the action is a deciding factor in choosing location. “But, yes, a small factor could also be the public nature of such an act, one that could perhaps be a cry for attention, albeit momentary. Incidents of suicide in public places naturally attract more publicity, with a high degree of recognition among people who have visited these places.”
Tired of the popular landmark, Mapo Bridge, a 60-foot drop into the Han River, being referred to as the bridge of death, the Seoul City government in 2012 made some changes to the structure. By calling it the Bridge of Life, they pinned the guardrails with TLC lines: “How are you doing?” “Isn’t it nice to be walking on a bridge,” and “Did you eat anything yet? These lines light up as a walker passes by. They also installed pictures of babies on the rail, with the hope the photos will strike a chord with depressed individuals. South Korea, with a population of 52 million people in 2019, had the highest suicide rate in the OECD. More than 13,700 people took their own lives the same year, recent government data showed.
Pranav Iyer
Ar Khozema Chitalwala is the founder of the Designers Group and is associated with hotel brands, including Taj, Marriott, Hilton and Radisson. According to him, architects, as a community of professionals, have a responsibility towards people. “We create spaces that live long after we die, so we need to build keeping in mind socio-economic factors, accessibility, physical and mental health, and the environment.” Safety, he adds, needs to be incorporated into design right at the concept stage. “For instance, the infinity pool is built in such a way that there’s no scope for a suicide attempt. It looks like it disappears into the horizon, making you think that there is no separation between the water and surrounding landscape. But it’s a complex installation that requires quality drainage products, catchment basins that sit below the edge of the waterline and walls that meet the water level.”
Iyer thinks the true solution lies in an overall effort to study the causes that bring people to that moment, and achieve causal rather than reactive prevention. “We need to think about inclusive design that encourages all to participate and reduces the sense of alienation among those who use a space, thereby making the environment safer. Higher railings, better lighting, and a free-to-mix public area would foster a sense of community, and take away from the feeling of loneliness that often underpins suicidal tendencies.”
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