News: construction of Rafael Viñoly's 432 Park Avenue skyscraper in New York – the tallest residential building in the western hemisphere – was temporarily halted following a complaint about falling construction material.
A Stop All Work order was issued by the NYC Department of Buildings on Thursday, after a 2.5-metre pipe was reported to have dropped from a hoist on the 81st floor of the 425-metre-high skyscraper.
The falling pipe landed on the street in front of an occupied building. No one was harmed, but all construction work on the tower had to be stopped until the site could be deemed safe.
An inspection of all six hoist cars was conducted by the installation company the following day. The order was then "fully rescinded", allowing work to resume.
Developer Macklowe Properties neglected to comment on the issue.
432 Park Avenue was designed by New York-based Uruguayan architect Rafael Viñoly and is part of the recent trend for skinny skyscrapers in the city, alongside projects by Foster + Partners and SHoP Architects.
One of the top three tallest buildings completing this year, it will offer 104 luxury residences, as well as facilities that include a private swimming pool, library and cinema screening room.
Viñoly is no stranger to skyscraper construction issues. His 20 Fenchurch Street skyscraper in London, nicknamed the Walkie Talkie, caused controversy in the summer of 2013 after reports claimed the building's curved facade was reflecting a beam of light intense enough to melt cars.
Developers Land Securities and Canary Wharf Group installed a series of vertical fins onto the facade in an effort to solve the problem, while Viñoly apologised for what he called "a lot of mistakes".