en.Wedoany.com Reported - The New York City Department of Buildings has expanded its investigation into the structural failure at the former Pfizer headquarters in Midtown Manhattan and has directed the owner to hire a third-party engineering supervisor. The Department of Investigation has confirmed a parallel inquiry.
The Department of Buildings has required the project owner to retain Thornton Tomasetti as a third-party engineering firm to oversee stabilization efforts and conduct an engineering forensic review. The department has also instructed the owner to hire Special Testing & Consulting as a third-party special inspection agency, adding an additional layer of oversight beyond the existing engineering and inspection teams.
No final conclusion has been reached regarding the cause of the column buckling at the former office building earlier this month. However, the project's structural engineer, GACE Consulting Engineers, claims that rebar specified in its design was omitted during construction. Chris Behan, chief engineer at GACE, stated on July 16 that rebar from the 19th floor to the top of the 21st floor, which would have significantly strengthened the columns, was never installed, and the structure was not reinforced as designed.
A review of city-approved construction drawings by Gothamist found that the original steel columns beneath the building's vertical expansion were designated for reinforcement. Christopher Raebel, vice president of engineering and research at the American Institute of Steel Construction, who is not involved in the investigation, noted that contractors are typically responsible for construction means and methods and may hire professional engineers for temporary works, while the project's engineer of record is responsible for completing the structural design and should remain informed during construction. Raebel emphasized that the engineer of record should always be involved and at least aware of construction progress.
The Department of Buildings declined to comment on GACE's claims and told ENR via email that the investigation is ongoing, with civil enforcement actions pending the results. The July 7 failure halted work on one of the largest office-to-residential conversion projects in the United States. Inspectors discovered two bent load-bearing columns and sagging floors on the 21st floor of the former Pfizer headquarters at 235 East 42nd Street.
Although the root cause of the incident has not yet been determined, contract and insurance disputes may be brewing as involved parties seek to limit their liability exposure. Robert Alfert, a certified construction attorney at Nelson Mullins, stated that while most stakeholders initially appear cooperative, they often eventually retreat to their own corners because the severity of the event, along with the significant risks and liability exposure, leads parties to focus on their own interests and protect themselves. City officials have warned against jumping to conclusions, as investigators are determining whether the failure was caused by design, construction sequencing, or other factors. GACE Consulting Engineers and Thornton Tomasetti did not immediately respond to ENR's requests for comment.
