From left: David Rockwell, Julius Schwarz, Alex Sapir and Trump Soho at 246 Spring Street

The developers of Trump Soho have entered a legal imbroglio against the
Rockwell Group, alleging in a new lawsuit that the interior design firm failed
to meet building codes and cost the property more than $1.5 million in
damages for delays and replacement costs to complete their work.

The complaint, filed this past Friday in New York state Supreme Court,
came just two days after Rockwell sued the Bayrock Group and Sapir
Organization, alleging the Trump Soho developers failed to pay for $1.5
million in interior design work at the building.

Bayrock/Sapir, which developed the 391-unit hotel-condominium at 246
Spring Street, contends the design firm placed furnishings too close to
light fixtures and provided interior construction documents that were out of
compliance with Americans with Disabilities Act requirements. [more]

Architects do more than design shiny new buildings. David Rockwell can vouch for that. His firm, the Rockwell Group — which has designed the Elinor
Bunin-Munroe Film Center at Lincoln Center, the W New York and the W
Union Square — has taken a special interest in playgrounds. Working
pro bono, the company, which has an office at 5 Union Square West as well as in Madrid and Dubai, designed
Imagination Playground in Burling Slip, an unstructured free-play play
space in Lower Manhattan, featuring a collection of loose parts like
wheelbarrows, rolling carts and molded foam blocks, meant to encourage
kids to play creatively. The project broke ground this spring. A
portable version, known as “Imagination Playground in a Box,” will be
introduced in other cities around the country. The veteran architect
also acted as production designer for the revamped Academy Awards show
this year. Rockwell spoke with The Real Deal about his firm’s latest projects. [more]