NYU hires construction firm it is suing for $1.4B for another project

Truth is stranger than fiction: New York University hired Turner Construction to manage the construction of a new facility at the Coles gym site, but it’s also suing the firm for $1.4 billion over alleged negligent work at the NYU Langone medical school.

NYU chose Turner in spring 2015 to manage the construction of a building that will have an athletic facility, a performing arts space, classrooms, and student and faculty housing at 181 Mercer Street.

However, in October 2015, the university sued Turner over its work at the NYU Langone medical school.

In court documents, the university accuses Turner of failing to cover an exposed ventilation shaft during construction — leading to 11 million gallons of water to flood the building during Superstorm Sandy — and other instance of “faulty workmanship and construction defects,” NYU Local reported.

The university also claims in the lawsuit that Turner improperly installed a generator, which caused the Tisch hospital to lose power during the storm. Doctors were forced to evacuate at-risk patients.

A university spokesperson told NYU Local that Turner presented the best proposal for the 181 Mercer project and that is why the firm were selected. It is not known how much the contract is for.

The Coles gym redevelopment sparked controversy when the university razed a dog run to make way for the new facility.

Last year, the New York State Court of Appeals greenlighted the university’s controversial 2 million square foot expansion in Greenwich Village. The plans includes new high rises on two blocks between West Third and Houston streets and La Guardia Place and Mercer Street. [NYU Local] — Dusica Sue Malesevic