Endangering The Public. Brooklyn Bridge Park designer Michael Van Valkenburgh (MVVA) is being sued again by the City this time over faulty designed light poles and shade sails installed at Pier 5’s soccer field in December 2012. The items were designed to withstand 100 mph winds or more but they were destroyed eight days after the field’s opening by less strong winds, "as a result of defective design and construction supervision by MVVA," according to the lawsuit. This is at least the second time Van Valkenburgh has been named in a suit by the City involving dangerous Brooklyn Bridge Park designs. (Image: DNAinfo)
Brooklyn
By Geoffrey Croft
The honeymoon is apparently over between the Brooklyn Bridge Park Development Corporation and the park's private designer, Michael Van Valkenburgh Landscape Architects, (MVVA).
The City, on behalf of the Brooklyn Bridge Park Development Corporation (BBP) is suing the firm over faulty designed light poles and shade sails installed at Pier 5’s soccer field in December 2012. The suit was first reported by DNAinfo.
The light poles and shade devices were supposedly designed to withstand 100 mile per hour winds or more, but they were destroyed eight days after the field’s opening by 75 mph winds, "as a result of defective design and construction supervision by MVVA," according to the lawsuit.
"the design proved to incapable of with standing even much lower winds," the suit contends.
MVVA was responsible for the feasibility analysis, design, and construction support services for the Shade Sail Structures.
A second company, HNTB Corporation, an engineering firm is also named in the suit.
The lawsuit states that BBP had repeated meetings and communications with MVVA and HNTB concerning the design and construction of the Shade Sail Structures. At these meetings, BBP, MVVA and HNTB repeatedly discussed the need to produce a design that was capable of withstanding foreseeable wind conditions of 100 miles per hour or more.
The suit was filed on November 27th and seeks $1,294,931 in damages and aims to "recover damages suffered by BBP as a result of defective design and construction supervision by MVVA."
The City's Corporation Counsel is suing on behalf of the plaintiff, the Brooklyn Bridge Park Corporation.
The City's Corporation Counsel is suing on behalf of the plaintiff, the Brooklyn Bridge Park Corporation.
Brooklyn Bridge Park Corporation contracted with MVVA to design the park including the construction of the Shade Sail structures at Pier 5 in the park. MVVA subcontracted the work out to HNTB to design the structures.
"As a result of MVVA’s and HNTB’s contractual and professional failures, the Shade Sail Structures had to be substantially redesigned and rebuilt, at great cost to BBP."
BBP asked MVVA to design and oversee the construction of overhead lighting and subsequently asked it to modify the design to provide shade on the Pier 5 playing field.
The suit does not mention however why they hired a landscape architecture firm for such work.
After the malfunction of the Shade Sails, the Park conducted a Structural Peer Review of the design which concluded that there were " fundamental flaws in HNTB’s design of the Shade Sails…. Specifically, the tie rods, the light poles, base plate and reinforced concrete foundations were each inadequate as a matter of design to withstand 100 mile per hour winds."
So basically everything.
When the Park asked HNTB to fix the damage to the Shade Sails, "HNTB no longer stood behind its own original design," the suit states.
This is at least the second time Van Valkenburgh Associates have been named in a suit by the City involving dangerous Brooklyn Bridge Park designs.
Within a few weeks of the opening of the playground at Pier 1 the park was forced to remove irresponsibly designed metal orbs after they were found to be burning children including thirteen-month-old Paula Sporlar who suffered second degree burns.
Two years later tax payers shelled out $ 17,500 to the Sporlar family for her injuries.
During the suit the city tried to shift blame to the playground designer by filing a third-party suit against Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates claiming that any negligence was the designer’s fault. The judge ordered the city and the Brooklyn Bridge Park Development Corporation to pay the settlement.
No word if those funds were ever recovered from MVVA.
April 7, 2010. The controversial metal domes in Brooklyn Bridge Park's Pier 1 Playground are covered up after several children are injured including thirteen-month-old Paula Sporlar who suffered second degree burns. The irresponsibly designed domes were soon removed. Tax payers shelled out $ 17,500 to the Sporlar family for her injuries. (Photo: Geoffrey Croft/NYC Park Advocates)
Not Just The Heat. Kira Foley, 5½, smashed her nose and lost a tooth playing on the metal domes within five minutes of the playground's opening on March 22, 2010.
A week after the Brooklyn Bridge Park incidents the city was forced to caution off a larger version of the metal dome in the newly opened Michael Van Valkenburgh designed Evelyn's Playground Union Square Park because children were also getting burned. The "play feature" structure was closed off for months. A massive green awning was finally installed above the six-foot high steel climbing dome at a reported cost of $ 100,000. Several people have been injured on the climbing orb since it opened.
Evelyn's Playground is at the top of City Comptroller Scott Stringer playground-related personal injury claims report where at least 11 children and a mother were hurt.
Evelyn's Playground is at the top of City Comptroller Scott Stringer playground-related personal injury claims report where at least 11 children and a mother were hurt.
Why is a landscape architect firm being allowed to design playgrounds on goverment properties? Hadn't anyone seen the multi-million dollar disastrous Teardrop Park in Battery Park City?
Same Designer, Same Problem. May 1, 2010. Evelyn's Playground. A week after the Brooklyn Bridge Park incidents the city was forced to close off the giant silver dome in Union Square Park because children were getting burned. A massive green awning was installed at a reported cost of $ 100,000. Several people have been injured on the Union Square climbing "play feature" structure. (Photo: Geoffrey Croft/NYC Park Advocates)
The Union Square Partnership BID hired the landscape architect firm to redesign the playground for some reason.
Read More:
DNAinfo - December 4, 2015 - By Alexandra Leon
City Forced To Pay Family Of 1-Year-Old Burned In Brooklyn Bridge Park Playground
A Walk In The Park - October 25, 2012
A Walk In The Park - July 1, 2010
A Walk In The Park - May 24, 2010 - By Geoffrey Croft
A Walk In The Park - June 29, 2010
A Walk In The Park - June 22, 2010
A Walk In The Park - June 18, 2010
A Walk In The Park - April 30, 2010
A Walk In The Park - April 9, 2010
A Walk In The Park - April 8, 2010
A Walk In The Park - April 7, 2010
