#THE DOWN SIDE SUPERTALL TOWER CREAKS PC#
#THE DOWN SIDE SUPERTALL TOWER CREAKS PLUS#

The Rafael Viñoly Architects PC design for the tall, skinny tower with a 1:15 slenderness ratio required some engineering solutions to reduce sway and acceleration, which are typically serviceability issues, rather than structural safety ones.

#THE DOWN SIDE SUPERTALL TOWER CREAKS PLUS#

One leak allegedly caused by “poor plumbing installation” in November 2018 halted two of the four residential elevators for weeks and caused water damage to 35 units, plus common areas. There have also been problems with water leaks, the suit states. Apartments are “plagued” by noise and the trash chute sounds “like a bomb.” Cracks have formed in ceilings and walls, and there are gaps around some light fixtures, the residents add. The consultant estimated repairs for some of the issues would cost about $5 million.Įlevators programmed to slow down under high winds have sometimes shut down entirely, trapping residents inside for hours and leaving others unable to access their homes, the complaint states. The commercial unit owners at the base of the building also hired SBI to examine defects in their section. The SBI report identified defects in the building’s structural system, its envelope, its mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems, its architecture and interiors and its elevator and vertical systems, the complaint states. The “sponsor has been and remains committed to working collaboratively with the to resolve these matters. “Virtually all new construction has maintenance and close-out items during the building’s initial period of occupancy,” the sponsor says. In a statement responding to the lawsuit, 56th and Park (NY) Owner LLC said that “432 Park delivers the finest level of service, world-class amenities and state-of-the-art technology and is an iconic addition to the New York skyline.” The developers declined to comment. “Far from the ultra-luxury spaces that they were promised, however, unit owners were sold a building plagued by breakdowns and failures that have endangered and inconvenienced residents, guests and workers, and repeatedly been the subject of highly critical accounts in the press and social media,” the lawsuit states. The 8,255-sq-ft penthouse on the 96th floor, with six bedrooms and eight bathrooms, is currently listed for $169 million. The units were marketed as luxury condos with “the finest quality design, construction, amenities, safety and security,” the lawsuit states. The 96-story high-rise was the tallest residential building in the Western Hemisphere when it was completed in 2015 and remains one of New York’s tallest buildings. The developers themselves are not named as defendants. The plaintiffs are seeking more than $250 million from the building’s sponsor, 56th and Park (NY) Owner LLC-an entity used by New York City developers to start condos and run their boards until most of a building’s units have been sold-plus seven employees of developers CIM Group and Macklowe Properties, who have served on the condo board.

The down side supertall tower creaks