Related Hudson Yards Hails Simple Tech to Meet Ever-Changing Consumer Demand

NEW YORK CITY- Hudson Yards in Manhattan’s West Chelsea neighborhood is considered not only one of the largest and newest commercial developments to come online in recent years, but an innovative and tech-driven hub for real estate developers to watch for years to come. Attaining its holy grail status of tech began with the build-out of a simple foundation that’d allow easy pairing of different tech solutions for changing consumer needs, according to a CREtech New York 2019 panel called “An In-depth Look at the Tech Behind the Largest New Urban Development in the World.”

At the start of any development, making sure there is a good technology base plan is key. In tech, a foundation is referred to as Layer 1, consisting of different networking hardware and transmission technologies, according to Kenneth Finnegan, CTO and managing director of technology for Related Hudson Yards.

The simpler the base foundation, the easier to layer technology on top that keeps pace with changing trends, Finnegan said. “We always have to think 2 to 3 years down the road because change is happening so fast,” he added. “Even if the technology isn’t designed yet and you don’t know what the structure will be, we’re building it as adaptable.”

Hudson Yards weighed technology heavily for its retail offerings to compete for visitors with other New York City attractions and to establish the site as a live-work-play environment.

Related built a digital ecosystem that includes interactive kiosks, Wi-Fi, and digital signage for engagement, data collection, and to provide the kitchen sink of offerings. Market research exploring 106 possible end-user experiences at Hudson Yards birthed the idea for the digital ecosystem, which is made up of 39 core systems. “We have to move in the direction of what consumers are asking us to do,” said panelist Scott Evans, chief digital officer, Related Hudson Yards. “It’s not about becoming data lead but consumer lead.”