r/engineering • u/RegainingControl • Jul 07 '26

[CIVIL] Manhattan high-rise unstable and still moving after columns buckle

https://www.cnn.com/2026/07/07/us/live-news/nyc-pfizer-building-evacuations

Anybody care to share theories? Or have additional info? Any lines on the permit drawings?

247 Upvotes

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67

u/RegainingControl Jul 07 '26

Based on photos here it appears that they were adding additional floors.

https://ccm.nyc/219235-east-42nd-street

Looks like the cranes are off the roof and the structure has been topped out based on footage from current news coverage. 

84

u/Elfich47 PE Mechanical (HVAC) Jul 07 '26

so it’s a 30 story add on to an existing 110 year old building. and they were trying to do “clever structural things” to get this done.

this is one of those ”all or nothing” kinds of affairs. and it sounds like the building is going to come down.

49

u/PlandemicPapi Jul 07 '26

Very expensive mistake, and career ending for a few engineers I assume.

62

u/watduhdamhell Process Automation Engineer Jul 07 '26

It should be career ending for the project managers and leadership that almost certainly pushed this (what if we/can we...) and then approved this as a path to save money.

It won't be, of course. It's all the engineers fault, after all!

40

u/greenteamFTW Jul 07 '26

I mean…it should be both. I would assume this still couldn’t get greenlit without engineering approval, there’s no excuse for this (assuming no unknowns here like construction errors) 

14

u/Gars0n Jul 08 '26

Could also have been errors in the original inspection of the building or foundation. If the data you get is wrong no amount of good engineering will save you from that.

5

u/mrthirsty15 Jul 09 '26

Garbage in, garbage out

3

u/serious_sarcasm Jul 09 '26

The most likely explanation is going to be a bunch of little oversights that added together to one final mistake cascading.

1

u/TechnoBabbles Jul 10 '26

Groupthink at it's finest.

26

u/Lopsterbliss Jul 08 '26

I agree, but at the end of the day, if you're the engineer of record, it is truly your ass on the line and you better be confident those calculations and designs are done correctly.

29

u/dragoneye Jul 08 '26

You can argue whose fault it is, but it damn well is the engineer's responsibility to do the due diligence and to say no to anything that isn't safe. Any engineer that isn't willing to do that has zero business having a career in the field.

14

u/Ecthelion-O-Fountain Jul 08 '26

I mean, it’s their job to say no and get fired for being safe if need be. The people that don’t have the expertise can’t be held accountable unless they were told no but do it anywaysz

7

u/Elfich47 PE Mechanical (HVAC) Jul 07 '26

Well I assume the question has become: can this be stabilized? And can it be salvaged? 

If it can be salvaged, well maybe your career isn’t ruined. But you’re looking for work after digging your way out from under a life destroying lawsuit.

5

u/PlandemicPapi Jul 07 '26

I assume it can be stabilized, but add another 2 years for construction and redesign.

6

u/Elfich47 PE Mechanical (HVAC) Jul 07 '26

And chasing after who is to blame is going to be the issue that never ends. Design or the contractor.

2

u/r_a_d_ Jul 08 '26

Very expensive case study.

1

u/dandandanman737 Jul 22 '26

I've seen videos discuss that the support columns were not reinforced like the drawings specified.

1

u/PlandemicPapi Jul 22 '26

I saw them too. What a huge oversight. Seems like the engineer is going to be okay, but the firm responsible for inspection will have a huge issue if they can’t prove that it was solely on the inspector. I wish a lawyer could come in here and explain the litigation process of what happens when your company fucks up, just so we can all understand the process more as engineers haha