Legal Battle Brewing Between Fortis Property Group And Pizzarotti Over Leaning 58-Story Manhattan Skyscraper
New York City is home to an eclectic mix of towers. The Bjarke Ingels Building twists and 100 Eleventh Avenue curves. Manhattan can add a leaning tower to its portfolio. However, this time the design isn’t deliberate. The skyscraper has been nicknamed the Leaning Tower of Pizzarotti.
The contractor for the 58-story skyscraper sued the tower’s developer on March 22nd. The contractor, Pizzarotti claims a subcontractor discovered the building was tilting 3 inches north.
Pizzarotti also alleges that the developer, Fortis Property Group allowed for the tower to be built on a shoddy foundation. Fortis Property Group said Pizzarotti filed the suit to distract from its inability to complete the project. Both parties said they have terminated their mutual contract.
The shimmering glass structure will become downtown Manhattan’s first residential skyscraper when it is finished.
The contractor alleged that the developer of 1 Seaport ignored the recommendations of a geotechnical report. The report recommended driving piles into the ground before laying the foundation.
A Fortis spokesperson said that two top engineering firms assessed the building and found no safety issue.
Fortis also stated the leaning is a misalignment issue that can easily be addressed with a slight redesign of the building’s curtain wall. Fortis also claims that Pizzarotti owes Fortis tens of millions of dollars because of defaults and delays. A spokesman for Fortis told Business Insider:
The tower also has a history of highly public scandals. A worker plummeted to his death in 2017 after following orders from a supervisor. In addition, the site’s previous contractor had pleaded guilty to manslaughter in July of last year.
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