![]() “Not only is the building’s construction defective under prevailing luxury standards, but it also presents significant safety issues.” “As unit owners began to move in and occupy their units, they soon discovered that, although the building was billed as the pinnacle of luxury, the building’s construction severely missed that mark,” the complaint states. When some 432 Park residents tried to get repairs made, the suit alleges the sponsor denied responsibility and the condo board, which was under sponsor control until early 2021, delayed work or used cheap, flimsy repairs. The 2.5-in.-dia, 97-ksi rebar necessitated a template to ensure accurate positioning of 15.5-ft-tall column modules. The white cement used for the exterior is more difficult to mix than gray cement, and it had to be pumped nearly 1,400 ft to the top of the structure. The construction process also posed some unusual challenges. Ontario-based wind engineer RWDI also designed seismic dampers on top with a combined mass of about 1,300 tons aimed at reducing acceleration. Five open levels, each spaced twelve floors apart, allow wind to pass through the building. 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. ![]() 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. “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.
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