“SUPER DANGEROUS”
Clifford Johnsen, a representative of the Steamfitters Local 638 union, said that the addition of new floors on top of the existing office structure had put pressure on the building’s supports.
“They keep adding. Now you put more weight, and when you put more weight, that’s what’s going to happen when it’s not engineered correctly or installed incorrectly,” he said.
“I’ve been in construction 21 years, and I’ve never seen a beam bend in half – so this is super dangerous.”
Construction worker Eddie, 28, who declined to give his full name, told AFP he was evacuated from the site and that he “was down below and I saw everyone starting to come down. Just then, they let me know that a column was broken”.
Video shared by construction workers seemed to show buckled columns within the building site.
The edifice sits on a public transport corridor used to ferry World Cup football fans from Manhattan to MetLife stadium in New Jersey. It was not active on Tuesday in the absence of any matches there.
Construction worker Fernando Sanchez, 50, told AFP that “the beams from around the 21st to 25th floor … bent and part of it collapsed a bit, and everyone had to get out quickly. All of us.
“All the people evacuated on this side, and we are waiting for new orders,” he added.
The project will total 1.3 million sq ft and bring to the market approximately 1,600 luxury rental apartments, according to developers.
Upon completion, which had been scheduled for early 2027, it would be New York City’s largest ever office-to-residential conversion.
“We want to confirm that the affected area is a small section of one of the two buildings on this site,” said developer Metroloft.
“As the (fire department) spokesperson noted, the entire building itself is not at risk of collapse.”