Skanska: No one knows if Ratner’s B2 building will leak

Builder claims design for Atlantic Yards modular building is flawed

From left: B2 rendering and Richard Kennedy
From left: B2 rendering and Richard Kennedy

Skanska USA Building and Forest City Ratner remain locked in legal battle, trading blame for flaws in the design and construction of modular units for their 32-story building in Prospect Heights. In documents brought to light today, Skanska charges that the building could leak from thousands of joints in the façade.

“[I]n simple terms, no one knows if the building is going to leak,” wrote Richard Kennedy, co-chief operating officer at Skanska USA Building, in a letter to Forest City Ratner dated August 8 and reviewed by the Atlantic Yards Report blog.

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Last month, Skanska shut down operations at FCS Modular, a joint venture of Skanska USA and Forest City Ratner that makes the modular units for the Atlantic Yards residential tower.

Skanska alleged in a lawsuit that project cost overruns are due to design flaws in the modules. Forest City Ratner has not responded to warnings about leaks, according to the Atlantic Yards Report, but chocks up the problems to errors in Skanska’s implementation and maintains the design itself is not defective. [Atlantic Yards Report]Tom DiChristopher