Steel Columns Fail in Office-to-Apartment Conversion | Albany News

Albany News Today | 2 Min News | The Daily News Now! · Jul 10, 2026 · 1m

Two steel columns collapsed at Pfizer’s Manhattan building, halting a major office-to-apartment conversion—highlighting the hidden risks of repurposing old structures. Experts confirm these adaptive reuse projects are technically demanding, especially when adding weight or reconfiguring layouts, but say this isn’t a sign of systemic failure. The developer points to added floors as the culprit, while engineers suspect design flaws or construction errors. Though rare, such failures underscore the need for rigorous inspections and careful planning—especially as cities scramble to solve housing…