UPDATE: Scaffold Collapse To Blame at 525 Clinton Avenue
According to an eyewitness, the man who was killed this morning on site at 525 Clinton Avenue was working on the interior of the top floor when the high winds created a wind-tunnel effect that allegedly blew him through the glass window and to his death. This is all the more surprising given our report…
According to an eyewitness, the man who was killed this morning on site at 525 Clinton Avenue was working on the interior of the top floor when the high winds created a wind-tunnel effect that allegedly blew him through the glass window and to his death. This is all the more surprising given our report last summer that the development was using a new, unusually thick (four inches) type of glass called Visionwall. The eyewitness reminded us that the winds can get especially bad in Clinton Hill because it is, after all, on a hill. Unbelievable.
UPDATE: Here’s an update we just received from DOB:
Upon inspection, Buildings engineers and inspectors determined a three-frame pipe scaffold installed on the roof of the new building under construction had collapsed. Sections of the pipe scaffold collapsed onto the 2nd floor and 12th floor setbacks of the new building under construction. Preliminary reports indicate three workers on the pipe scaffold were performing stucco work on the exterior of the rooftop bulkhead at the time of the incident. The workers were employed by a sub-contractor, Bell Tower Enterprises, retained by the general contractor overseeing construction of the new building, Clinton Court Development LLC.
Given this new information, we’re redacting the earlier eyewitness account until we can get more information.
BREAKING: Worker Killed at 525 Clinton Avenue [Brownstoner] GMAP
Photo by Gary Brubaker
I’ve been saying all along that the wind up Hanson Place between the tall buildings is really brutal sometimes and “once AY is built” we’re going to have horrible wind issues.
Environmental studies down on building projects and esp. tall buildings do EXTENSIVE wind studies. ALL the computer modeling you want to do is do-able now. It is amazing what can be figure out with the right input. Frankfurt has some tall buildings that had amazing wind studies done…may be available online. I was impressed.
Problem with the proposed AY towers: wind studies were equal to nothing. People aren’t even talking about wind issues. This is plan dumb.
The problem with wind, esp in an area with low buildings is that high buildings, esp. set up as a tight forest like the proposed AY project are like cliffs rising out of the desert. The wind that hits the hill of Clinton hill sweeps up from the low areas of Gowanus, etc. surrounding the south, west and east side of the southern FG and Clinton Hill areas.
The problem with wind year round: winter, higher wind speeds chill neighboring areas, especially if they lose their solar gain from hi-rise shadows. In summer, hot air is shuttled down to ground level drying out and overheating the surrounding area.
Basically, these tall buildings can cause lots of wind turbulence and impact the surrounding area…since air tends to be invisible (Voire how it is used as a dumping ground for lots of pollutants as well), it tends not to hold the place it should in the planning stage of tall buildings, etc.
That’s terrible.
On a side note, I live a block from this site, and Clinton Hill is not any kind of hill to speak of. Prospect and Crown Heights, just uphill Washington Ave. from this site, is an actual hill. But its a tall building all by itself, it doesn’t need to be on a hill.
Very sad.
I hope measures are taken to prevent this in the future. I also hope the construction company/developers/owners take care of his family in a generous and compassionate manner. What a tragedy.
Supposedly there was a scaffolding on the interior that he was working on at the time…
😮
-sg.
apparently they said he fell off a scaffolding not out of the window, even so I’m sure he didn’t break trough the window, as you can see there are many open spaces where the windows haven’t been installed yet, in any case that’s too bad for the guy!
This is horrible. If those wind advisories were in effect, and if it’s worse in Clinton Hill, then work should have been postponed until it was safe. Someone needs to be accountable.
How horrible.
Regardless of how thick glass is, it would seem it would always be possible to break it. Must have been a real wind tunnel effect as you said. I felt the wind pushing me along in lower Manhattan today. I could just imagine the force if it was focused into a hallway or rooms sized space. Truly sad.
Great scoop Brownstoner! Keep up the good work!