Opened in 2015, it is one of the top skyscrapers in New York. At 425 meters and overlooking Central Park, everything is luxury and glamor. Its units are worth millions of dollars. But the impressive tower designed by the prestigious Uruguayan architect Rafael Viñoly (recently deceased) does not stop adding controversy.
Its owners (millionaires and billionaires) filed a lawsuit in the New York Supreme Court for hundreds of construction defects.
Buyers include Jennifer Lopez and her ex-partner Alex Rodriguez, Saudi tycoon Fawaz Alhokair and a member of the family that owns the José Cuervo tequila brand, according to The New York Times.
Ell 432 Park Avenue by Rafael Viñoly promised a new paradigm under construction.
The condominium board of the 432 Park Avenue skyscraper sued building developers CIM Group and Macklowe Properties for $250 million, plus punitive damages. According to reports, the board’s engineering consultant found more than 1,500 construction and design flaws in the building, “many of which are described as human security problems,” according to the prestigious Fortune magazine.
Uruguayan Rafael Viñoly. The architect passed away this year. AFP photo:
The board claims that flooding, stuck elevators, and “horrible and disturbing noise and vibration” in the building are due to design flaws.
The inauguration, in 2015, of the now controversial skyscraper.
They also claim that the building’s sponsor, 56th and Park Owner LLC, did not take into account the “remarkable height ” of the skyscraper when designing the building, Fortune added.
Impressive living room and spectacular view.
Although the elevators are designed to slow down when the wind hits the building, they go even slower than expected, causing them to shut down frequently, concluded the investigation. According to the lawsuit filed Thursday, there was an electrical explosion in June, the second to occur since the skyscraper’s inauguration.
Incredible view from a unit of the 432 Park Avenue building.
Jonathan Adelsberg, a partner at the law firm Herrick Feinstein, told The New York Times that finding fault with the building is “Almost like peeling an onion. This is a work in progress to determine what is wrong. ”
Luxurious atmosphere and magnificent view.
The building’s sponsor defended itself in a statement: “Virtually all new construction has elements of maintenance and closure during the initial period of occupancy. The builder remains committed to working collaboratively with the HOA to resolve these issues.“.
The construction of the Uruguayan architect Rafael Viñoly.
The 432 Park Avenue skyscraper is 1,396 feet (425 meters) tall and towers over Central Park. The gigantic building had its share of problems in the past. In February, The New York Times reported that the building had “millions of dollars in water damage due to mechanical and plumbing problems; frequent elevator failures; and walls that creak like a ship’s galley.”
The skyscraper has also been criticized for blocking sunlight in Central Park. In 2015, before the tower was erected, The Washington Post reported that it would “transform New York far below, further darkening the city streets and casting long shadows that would stretch across Central Park.”
