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IT MAY TAKE AN EXTRA SIX WEEKS TO repair the weak fifth-floor concrete, but the construction manager for a 377-unit residential condominium project in Manhattan intends to double-phase other work to still achieve first occupancy by mid-August. Because of the faulty concrete, the ultimately 46-story, 300 Riverside Drive South job has been under a stop work order for superstructure concrete since Oct. 29, when the frame reached the 20th floor. But ``this is not a dangerous condition where the building could fall over,'' said New York City Dept. of Buildings Commissioner Gaston Silva at a Nov. 3 press conference.
Threat of collapse or not, the department's action sparked a debate over the effectiveness of the city's nearly 60-year-old ``controlled inspection'' system, which gives independent licensed engineers, hired by a developer, the authority to self-inspect certain elements of construction, including concrete work. Controlled inspection does not require the engineer-inspector to report problems to the buildings department unless they are causing imminent peril, explains Silva. Because the frame was only 40% complete and not fully loaded, there was no likelihood of collapse, he adds.
The Dept. of Buildings discovered the condition inadvertently, during a different inspection. The first sign of bad concrete came on Aug. 15, just before the fifth floor slab was poured. Concrete work continued into the fall while the engineer waited for test results to confirm that the questionable concrete had not...