New York City's newest landmark is a $200m stairway to, well, nowhere

New Yorkers are a people who like to get where they're going without messing around, so the world will likely be watching their every reaction when a new $200m attraction is unveiled on the city's West Side next year.

The 600-tonne "Vessel", designed by Brit Thomas Heatherwick, stands 15 stories tall with 2500 steps over a network of interconnected staircases – that don't actually lead anywhere.

It will take pride-of-place in the multi-million-dollar Hudson Yards development, a plaza and garden space sprawling two hectares, and will cost billionaire developer Stephen M Ross upwards of $200m. Ross – clearly a man with a sense of humour – calls the installation "the social climber", according to the New York Times.

You can read about the inspiration for the design on 9Homes.

The mammoth bronzed-steel pieces that form the honeycomb-like structure are currently under construction in Monfalcone, Italy, and will be assembled on-site in 2017.