NEW YORK — With its striking white concrete facade amid a sea of glass skyscrapers, the supertall tower at 432 Park Ave. was designed to be the jewel of New York City’s Billionaires’ Row, the stretch of luxury condos in Manhattan that has attracted the world’s wealthiest homebuyers.

纽约——在一片玻璃摩天大楼的海洋中，坐落在纽约公园大道432号的超高层住宅塔楼以其醒目的白色混凝土外立面脱颖而出。它的设计初衷是成为纽约亿万富翁街的皇冠明珠——这条位于曼哈顿的豪华公寓带吸引了全球最富有的买家。

But only a few years after the 102-floor apartment tower near 57th Street was completed, water began seeping through some ceilings, the elevators broke down repeatedly, and owners complained that their living rooms creaked and swayed in the whipping midtown wind.

然而在这栋临近57街的102层住宅楼落成仅数年后，部分天花板开始渗水，电梯故障频频，业主们抱怨起居室在中城的强风中嘎吱作响，甚至出现摇晃。

Now, what initially seemed to be nuisances for a small group of ultrarich people appear to have masked much deeper problems.

如今，这些最初看似只困扰少数超级富豪的琐碎问题似乎掩盖着更深层次的问题。

The exterior of the building, which opened in 2015, is pockmarked and gouged, riddled with hundreds of cracks that suggest the slender structure is being overtaxed by wind and rain, according to independent engineering experts, construction reports and court filings. If the problems are not addressed, probably with a nine-figure renovation, the building could eventually become uninhabitable or endanger pedestrians below, the engineers said.

根据独立工程专家的评估、施工报告及法庭文件，这栋于2015年启用的建筑外墙已出现坑坑洼洼，数百道裂缝暗示着这座纤细的建筑正承受超出预期的风雨侵蚀。工程师警告，如果这些问题得不到解决（翻修可能需要耗资九位数），这栋大楼最终可能变得无法居住，甚至危及楼下行人安全。

Inspectors have said the building is safe for residents inside and for passersby. Yet recent reports filed with the city have shown chunks of missing concrete on some of its highest floors, and new cracks are appearing in its load-bearing facade.

尽管检查人员表示大楼对居民和行人目前仍是安全的，但近期提交给市政府的报告显示，高层部分的混凝土块已脱落，承重外墙上出现了新的裂缝。

Amid a tangle of litigation involving the developers, engineers, residents and a small army of contractors, a likely explanation for some of the building’s issues is emerging: its lauded, all-white concrete facade, insisted on by its superstar team of architects and developers.

在涉及开发商、工程师、住户及众多承包商的复杂法律纠纷中，一个可能解释部分建筑问题的关键因素逐渐浮出水面：这正是当初由明星建筑师与开发团队坚持采用、备受赞誉的纯白混凝土外立面。

The New York Times reviewed thousands of pages of court documents, public records and private correspondence between the buildings’ residents and planners. They reveal that for years, several key members of the team of developers, engineers and architects behind 432 Park had expressed concerns about its white exterior, even before the concrete was poured.

《纽约时报》查阅了数千页的法庭文件、公共记录以及大楼住户与设计规划团队之间的私人往来信件。这些资料显示，早在混凝土浇筑之前，公园大道432号的开发商、工程与建筑团队中的多位核心成员数年来一直对其白色外立面表示担忧。

Concrete typically gets its gray tint from iron oxides in cement; altering the components can affect its strength, color and performance. Builders of 432 Park were presented with a major challenge: how to come up with a concrete mixture that met their exacting aesthetic. Companies involved with the job called it one of the most difficult concrete projects ever executed.

通常，混凝土之所以呈灰色是因为水泥中含有氧化铁；一旦改变其成分，就可能影响混凝土的强度、颜色与性能。而公园大道432号的建设者面临着一个巨大的挑战：如何调配出既能符合结构要求、又能实现理想外观的混凝土配方。参与该项目的多家公司形容这座楼是“有史以来难度最大的混凝土工程之一”。

Seeking what he once called an “absolutely pure” building, Harry Macklowe, a well-known New York developer, tore down the luxury Drake Hotel and commissioned Rafael Viñoly, the Uruguayan modernist, to design a perfectly rectilinear body for a tower on the site. They assembled engineers, construction firms and concrete specialists to carry out the vision.

为追求所谓“绝对纯粹”的建筑理念，纽约知名开发商哈里·麦克洛拆除了德雷克豪华酒店，委托乌拉圭现代主义建筑大师拉斐尔·维诺里为地块设计了完全由直线构成的塔楼。他们集结工程师、施工企业和混凝土专家共同实现这一构想。

The tower at 432 Park Ave. was set to become the tallest residential building in the world and one of the slimmest. Its “slenderness” ratio is 15 to 1; by comparison, the Empire State Building has a ratio of 3 to 1 because it has a much wider base.

建成后的公园大道432号原计划成为全球最高的住宅建筑之一，同时也是最纤细的塔楼之一。其“纤细比”为15:1；相比之下，帝国大厦的比例仅为3:1，因为后者的底座宽得多。

“It looks very simple,” Justin Peters, a project executive for Lendlease, the construction manager at 432 Park, told the trade publication Engineering News-Record. “It isn’t.”

“外观看似简约，”项目承建商兰德利斯的项目总监贾斯汀·彼得斯在接受行业刊物《工程新闻纪录》采访时说，“实则不然。”

The design was a marketing hit, with the building’s 125 units selling for more than $2.5 billion. Early buyers included Jennifer Lopez, Alex Rodriguez and Saudi retail magnate Fawaz Alhokair.

该设计在市场上取得巨大成功，大楼的125个住宅单元总销售额超过25亿美元。早期买家包括詹妮弗·洛佩兹、亚历克斯·罗德里格斯，以及沙特零售巨头法瓦兹·阿尔霍克因。

But its success has been marred by infighting among its wealthy residents, who cannot agree on how to solve the building’s growing list of problems without hurting property values.

但这座大楼的成功却因富豪业主之间的内斗而蒙上阴影——他们既想解决大楼日益增多的问题，又唯恐房产贬值，始终难以达成共识。

The condo board at 432 Park has filed two separate suits accusing the building’s team of developers of selling them defective units and of fraudulently covering up the issues.

公园大道432号的管委会已分别提起两项诉讼，指控开发商团队不仅出售存在缺陷的房产，还蓄意隐瞒建筑质量问题。

A representative for Macklowe declined to comment. Viñoly died in 2023; a spokesperson for the firm did not return repeated requests for comment. WSP, the firm that led the structural engineering of the tower, declined comment.

麦克洛公司的代表拒绝置评。建筑师维诺里已于2023年逝世，其事务所发言人未回应多次置评请求。负责大楼结构工程的WSP公司亦拒绝置评。

Jami Schlicher, a spokesperson for the project’s other developer, CIM Group, said that the tower was designed and built by world-class professionals and was considered safe by inspectors. She called claims of the facade’s deterioration “baseless” and said accusations that the developer ignored risks were “categorically untrue, defamatory, and yet another misstep by the board that will drive down property values.”

项目另一开发商CIM集团发言人贾米·施利赫则表示，这座摩天楼由世界级专业人士设计与建造，并通过了检查机构的安全认证。她称外立面老化的说法“毫无依据”，并强调开发商忽视风险的指控“纯属捏造、构成诽谤，更是业委会再次损害房产价值的错误行为”。

All concrete is vulnerable to some cracking, according to engineering experts interviewed by The New York Times, who emphasized the tower was built to code and designed to withstand high winds. None suggested there is any risk of a cataclysmic event, such as a collapse.

据《纽约时报》采访的工程专家称，所有混凝土都存在一定开裂风险。他们强调，这栋大楼符合建筑规范，设计上能承受强风。所有专家均认为不存在灾难性坍塌风险。

But there have been warning signs that the building may not be performing as intended. The heavy suspended weight system designed to reduce sway and keep residents from feeling seasick has undergone extensive repairs, according to private communications between the condo board and residents.

但种种警示迹象表明，建筑性能或未达预期。据管委会与住户间的私人通信显示，为减少楼体晃动、避免住户感到“晕船”而设计的重型悬摆阻尼系统已进行了大规模检修。

In all, the problems at 432 Park could cost more than $100 million to remedy, according to engineering reports that the condo board commissioned and the independent engineers who reviewed the tower’s condition. And further cracking could present a danger to pedestrians below, the experts said.

根据管委会委托编制的工程报告及独立工程师的评估，公园大道432号的修复成本可能超过1亿美元。专家还表示，如果裂缝继续扩大，可能对楼下行人构成安全隐患。

独特的设计令公园大道432号大厦在曼哈顿众多超高层公寓楼中脱颖而出。

“The building is being stressed beyond what was intended,” said Steve Bongiorno, a structural engineer in New York who was consulted on an early bid for the design of the building and has continued to closely track its issues.

曾参与该建筑早期设计竞标并一直密切关注其问题的纽约结构工程师史蒂夫·邦吉诺指出：“这栋建筑正承受着超出设计预期的压力。”

Consultants Raise Concerns

顾问提出的担忧

On a misty December afternoon in 2012, more than a dozen luminaries from the world of architecture, engineering and development walked through a concrete yard in Gowanus, Brooklyn. It was four years before 432 Park would be completed, and its team was gathering to review the concrete mix that would soon form the tower’s signature facade.

2012年12月一个雾蒙蒙的午后，来自建筑、工程与地产界的十多位业内权威人士走进了布鲁克林戈瓦纳斯的一处混凝土试验场。当时距离公园大道432号大厦竣工还有四年时间，项目团队聚集在此，准备评估即将用于该塔标志性外立面的混凝土配方。

Passing between roughly 20-foot-tall models of concrete columns were executives from two powerful Manhattan luxury developers, Macklowe Properties and CIM Group; members of top-flight engineering and construction teams; and senior staff from Rafael Viñoly Architects, the star design firm that envisioned the building’s boxy, white envelope.

穿梭在约六米高的混凝土柱样模型之间的，是来自曼哈顿两大豪华开发商——麦克洛物业与CIM集团的高管、顶尖工程建造团队的代表，以及明星建筑设计公司拉斐尔·维诺里建筑事务所的核心成员。正是这家事务所为大楼构思了方正的纯白色外观。

Already, there were concerns. “Cracks are apparent immediately,” an architect with the Viñoly firm said about the columns.

当时，人们的担忧已经浮现。“裂缝立马可见，”一位来自维诺里建筑事务所的建筑师在查看立柱后说道。

Concrete is notoriously finicky. Its performance and look depend on outside temperatures and humidity as it is mixed, poured and dried. Some additives can bolster its durability but may darken the color.

众所周知，混凝土是一种非常挑剔的材料。它的性能与外观在很大程度上取决于搅拌、浇筑及固化过程中的环境温度与湿度。某些添加剂可以增强其耐久性，但可能会使颜色变暗。

But 432 Park was supposed to be white. The group assembled in Gowanus was responsible for developing a concrete mix that was strong enough to support the weight of a nearly 1,400-foot tower and white enough to satisfy the aesthetic the design team desired.

然而，公园大道432号必须保持纯白。聚集在戈瓦纳斯的这群人肩负着一项艰巨的任务：调制出一种既足以支撑约426米摩天楼的重量、又能呈现设计团队理想中洁白外观的混凝土。

Even before the team arrived at the Brooklyn yard, there were internal disagreements. Five months before, a lead architect had expressed worries about changes to concrete specifications that were put into place by the developers and construction contractors.

甚至在团队抵达布鲁克林试验场之前，内部就已出现分歧。五个月前，首席建筑师就曾对开发商与施工承包商修改混凝土规格的决定表示担忧。

Engineers sent around photos of the defects to others tied to the project in hopes of finding solutions, according to emails from the suit.

根据诉讼文件中的电子邮件记录，工程师们曾将混凝土缺陷的照片发送给项目相关方，以期寻求解决方案。

One recipient was Silvian Marcus, a structural engineer at WSP who had worked on the rippling facade of Frank Gehry’s 8 Spruce St. in lower Manhattan, and was enlisted as part of the team for 432 Park.

收件人中包括WSP的结构工程师西尔维安·马库斯。这位曾参与打造曼哈顿下城弗兰克·盖里作品“云杉街8号”波浪形外立面的专家，此时正作为项目团队成员为公园大道432号大厦提供咨询。

Marcus recommended adding flyash to the mix, a byproduct of coal combustion often used to make concrete more durable.

马库斯建议在混凝土中添加粉煤灰——这种燃煤副产品常用于提升混凝土的耐久性。

“They will not accept flyash (color is too dark),” replied Hezi Mena, an engineer who was then a senior associate at WSP, in a December 2012 email.

“他们不会接受粉煤灰（颜色会过深），”时任WSP高级工程师的赫齐·梅纳在2012年12月的邮件中回复道。

There were two options, Marcus replied: “Color or cracks.”

马库斯回信说，只有两个选择：“是要颜色，还是要裂缝。”

Construction at the midtown site was set to start, and time was running out. The team, Marcus wrote, should not still have been experimenting.

位于中城的工地即将动工，时间已经所剩无几。马库斯在邮件中强调，团队此时不该还在试验配比。

为追求所谓“绝对纯粹”的建筑理念，纽约知名开发商哈里·麦克洛拆除了原址上的豪华酒店——德雷克酒店，委托乌拉圭现代主义建筑大师拉斐尔·维诺里为地块设计了完全由直线构成的塔楼。

“Hold the pour until they have a valid mix,” Marcus wrote to Mena and developers. “Otherwise we will have future problems very painful to be solved and substantial project delays.”

“在确定有效配比前暂停浇筑，”马库斯在给梅纳和开发商的邮件里说。“否则未来将面临难以解决的严重问题和重大工期延误。”

The developers brought on a series of consultants who reached similar conclusions: The cracking was bound to get worse, and a lasting fix would be costly.

开发商后续聘请的多位顾问得出类似结论：混凝土的裂缝问题只会加剧，而持久的修复将代价高昂。

They called for painting the building with an elastomeric coating — a thick, rubbery membrane that would seal the cracks and protect the exterior from air and water seeping in. But the coating would give the building a glossy sheen that clashed with the developers’ vision.

顾问们建议采用弹性涂层，这是一种厚实、富有弹性的橡胶状膜层，可以封住裂缝，防止空气和水渗入外墙。但这种涂层会使建筑表面产生光泽，与开发商追求的视觉效果不符。

Instead, the developers went forward with a plan to use a clear, penetrating sealant across the building and patch the worst cracks, rejecting the consultants’ idea of the rubbery coating.

开发商最终没有采纳顾问们关于使用橡胶状涂层的建议，而是采用了另一种方案——给整栋建筑喷涂透明的渗透型密封剂，并对最严重的裂缝进行局部修补。

Despite the efforts, two years later in October 2015, as construction was in the final stretch, the concrete facade was still a problem.

尽管采取了这些措施，两年后的2015年10月，当工程进入最后冲刺阶段时，混凝土外立面的问题依然存在。

Charles L’Heureux, then a senior project manager with Lendlease, the project’s construction manager, expressed concerns in an October 2015 email about “voids” found in the concrete exterior that were so worrying that repairs had to “proceed immediately.”

在2015年10月的一封邮件中，时任项目承建商兰德利斯高级项目经理的查尔斯·莱尔克斯对外墙发现的“孔隙”表示严重关切，要求必须“立即开展”修复工作。

Less than four months later inspectors from New York City’s Department of Buildings scheduled an inspection and inquired about the cracks.

不到四个月后，纽约市建筑局的检查员安排了现场检查，并专门询问了有关裂缝的情况。

“There are no structural concerns, these are all hairline cracks which were expected to occur,” L’Heureux wrote in a January 2016 email to a buildings supervisor. “So no surprises.”

“不存在结构安全问题，这些都是预期会出现的发丝裂缝，”莱尔克斯在2016年1月致一名建筑监理的邮件中写道。“完全在预料之中。”

A Stressed Building

饱受压力的摩天楼

The doors of 432 Park opened and welcomed celebrities, international executives and real estate movers and shakers, most of whom used secretive shell companies for their sales. Complaints started almost immediately.

公园大道432号大厦落成后，迅速成为了各路名流、国际商界领袖以及地产大亨的聚集地——这些买家大多通过隐秘的空壳公司完成购房交易。然而入住伊始，投诉便接踵而至。

Creaking noises kept some residents awake at night, and burst pipes caused millions of dollars in damage, according to private emails and court documents. The building’s problematic elevators in one case trapped the son of a condo board member for nearly 90 minutes.

据私人邮件和法庭文件显示，夜晚的吱呀声让一些住户难以入睡，爆裂的水管造成了数百万美元的损失。故障频发的电梯曾将一位管委会成员的儿子困在电梯里近90分钟。

An electrical mishap the week before Thanksgiving in 2019 knocked out power. The swaying in one apartment was so bad that an engineering firm was hired to steady the unit.

2019年感恩节前一周，一起电气事故导致整栋楼停电。有一户公寓的晃动严重到不得不聘请工程公司前来处理的程度。

Representatives for the developers have said the complaints were overblown, fueled by an engineering and legal industry that thrives on litigation between condo boards and developers. Many construction issues have been addressed, they said, and the condo board has failed to fulfill some of its upkeep and maintenance obligations on the facade.

开发商的代表表示，这些投诉被夸大了，指责背后有依靠管委会与开发商诉讼牟利的工程法律行业推波助澜。他们称，许多施工问题已经得到解决，并反指管委会未能履行部分外立面的维护和保养责任。

2014年施工期间，从公园大道432号大厦76层俯瞰的景色。

But some engineering experts see many of the inconveniences as symptoms of problems with the building’s design.

但一些工程专家认为，诸多不便实为建筑设计问题的征兆。

Cracks in the facade increase the risk of water seeping into the structure, which could cause the steel rebar to rust and expand, producing even more cracks.

外立面裂缝会增加水分渗透至建筑结构的风险，这可能导致内部钢筋生锈并膨胀，进而引发更多裂缝。

This cycle of degradation affects what experts call the building’s stiffness, or its ability to respond to wind. More cracking could exacerbate existing problems with mechanical systems, they said, and make the building increasingly vulnerable.

这种恶性循环会影响专家所称的建筑刚度，即抵抗风荷载的结构性能。专家指出，持续开裂可能加剧机械系统已有的问题，使建筑变得越来越脆弱。

If this cycle of stress continues, the consequences could be huge, according to engineering experts.

工程专家指出，如果这种应力循环持续下去，将引发严重后果。

“Chunks of concrete will fall off, and windows will start loosening up,” said Bongiorno, the structural engineer, who echoed concerns of other independent engineers contacted by the Times. “You can’t take the elevators, mechanical systems start to fail, pipe joints start to break and you get water leaks all over the place.

“混凝土块会脱落，窗户会开始松动，”结构工程师邦吉诺说道，这与《纽约时报》咨询的其他独立工程师的观点一致。“你无法乘坐电梯，机械系统开始失灵，管道接头会断裂，到处都会出现漏水。”

“The building just becomes uninhabitable,” he said, noting that the tower has yet to experience sustained, hurricane-force winds.

“整栋建筑最终将变得无法居住，”他说，并指出这座塔楼至今尚未经历过持续性的飓风级风力考验。

The tower has been on the radar of the Department of Buildings for years.

这栋摩天楼几年前就已经引起纽约市建筑局的注意。

New York requires the facades of about 17,000 buildings taller than six stories to be inspected every five years.

纽约市要求所有六层以上的约1.7万栋建筑的外立面每五年必须接受一次检查。

Andrew Rudansky, a spokespersonman for the buildings department, said the buildings department has not observed any evidence of unsafe conditions. The last time an inspector from the agency’s facade unit was on site at the tower was February 2023, he said.

纽约市建筑局发言人安德鲁·鲁丹斯基表示，该部门尚未发现任何安全隐患的证据。他说，建筑局外立面检查部门的检查员上次到这座大楼现场是在2023年2月。

“None of the parties associated with the building have approached DOB with new information indicating structural stability or life safety concerns with the building,” Rudansky said.

“目前没有任何相关方向建筑局提交能证明该建筑存在结构稳定性或生命安全隐患的新证据，”鲁丹斯基称。

Still, worsening cracks could lead to greater risk for pedestrians, said Bongiorno, who is not involved in the tower lawsuits. “There’s no sidewalk shed that’s going to protect you from chunks of concrete popping off a 1,400-foot building,” he said.

未参与相关诉讼的结构工程师邦吉诺指出，不断恶化的裂缝可能会增加行人面临的风险：“没有哪种人行道雨棚能抵挡从426米的高空坠落的混凝土块。”

The residents at 432 Park are divided on the remedy for the building’s problems, according to court documents and emails obtained by the Times.

根据《纽约时报》获得的法院文件和电子邮件，公园大道432号的住户们对于修复方案存在分歧。

Recent estimates for repairs would involve filling cracks, reinforcing columns, adding a new cladding system to prevent water damage and the application of an elastomeric coating — the same fix the developers initially resisted.

最新修复方案包括填补裂缝、加固承重柱、加装防潮覆层系统，并在外墙涂覆弹性体涂层——也就是开发商最初拒绝采用的修复方案。

The facade project would cost more than $160 million over three years, according to a report from consultants hired by the condo board.

据管委会聘请的顾问撰写的报告，外立面修复工程将持续三年，耗资逾1.6亿美元。

The building’s manager declined to comment. In a Sept. 12 letter to residents, CIM said that the estimate “lacks any basis in reality.”

大楼的物业管理方拒绝发表评论。在9月12日发给住户的一封信中，CIM公司表示，这份估算“完全脱离现实”。

The developer has accused the board of failing to reapply a protective sealant to the exterior of the building. But that fix would not solve the building’s problems, said Terrence Oved, a lawyer representing the building’s condo board in two suits involving the tower.

开发商指责管委会未能在大楼外立面重新涂覆保护性密封剂。但代表管委会参与两起诉讼的律师特伦斯·奥维德指出，这种修补根本无济于事。

He said residents are committed to ensuring their home is a “world-class residential property.”

他说，住户们致力于确保他们的家是一处“世界级的住宅物业”。

The ultraluxury market has significantly cooled since the peak of the condo boom in the last decade, and the stigma of defects could further harm residents’ resale potential.

自上一个十年共管公寓热潮的高峰以来，超豪华房地产市场已经明显降温，而建筑问题的污名可能进一步损害住户的转售潜力。

Some residents think the construction issues are overblown and are costing them far too much in legal fees. Others believe the building is being mismanaged. One particular sore spot is a $5.3 million renovation of the private restaurant that condo owners have been asked to pay for.

部分业主认为施工问题被夸大了，他们在法律费用上花得太多。还有一些业主质疑大楼管理水平。引发普遍不满的焦点之一是，业主专属餐厅的530万美元翻修工程被要求由业主共同承担。

Residents have been engaged in a wide-ranging blame game about the cause of various woes in the building, including surging common charges, accusations of sabotage to infrastructure by building staff and just what caused the water damage to a $135,000 rug belonging to Jacqueline Finkelstein-LeBow, a real estate investor and member of the condo board. Was it a defect in the building or the radiant-heat flooring she had installed in her 64th-floor apartment?

住户们就各类问题的根源相互指责：包括公摊费用的激增、员工破坏设施设备的指控，以及房地产投资人兼管委会成员杰奎琳·芬克尔斯坦-勒博那块13.5万美元地毯遭水渍损坏的原因——究竟该归咎于建筑问题，还是她安装在64楼公寓的地暖系统？

The building’s manager declined to comment.

大楼管理方拒绝置评。

Ching Wong, an investor in Hong Kong real estate and a former media executive, said he was so mesmerized by the elegant design of 432 Park Avenue that in 2019 he bought a three-bedroom for $15 million.

香港房地产投资人、前媒体高管黄青（音）表示，2019年他被公园大道432号的优雅设计深深吸引，以1500万美元购入了一套三居室公寓。

But now, he said, his bathroom door doesn’t close properly, the air conditioning in his guest bedroom is broken and the pool is frequently closed.

但现在浴室门无法正常闭合，客卧空调失灵，泳池则经常关闭。

Mr. Wong questions the condo board’s spending on a lawsuit that is focused on the building’s white concrete exterior, when his more pressing concern is what he believes to be mismanagement, including the tripling of his monthly common charges.

黄先生质疑管委会将资金用于针对白色混凝土外墙的诉讼，而他更关切的是管理失当问题，包括每月物业费暴涨两倍。

He is not convinced that the worst of the problems are over.

他认为最严重的问题远未结束。

“The taller the building,” he said, “the longer the shadow.”

“楼越高，”他叹息道，“投下的阴影便越长。”