Rafael Viñoly Admits 432 Park ‘Has a Couple of Screw-Ups’
432 Park Avenue is the supertall that New Yorkers love to hate. From calling it the “oligarch’s erection” to spilling the beans about cracks in its facade, critics of the tallest residential building in the western hemisphere are quick to try to bring the tower down from its 1,400-foot pedestal. And strangely, its very own architect is the latest jump on the bandwagon.
The Post reports that Rafael Viñoly admitted at a Douglas Elliman talk last week that his creation “has a couple of screw-ups,” namely the window framing, which he blames on developer Harry Macklowe, and the tiny issue of “the interior design and layout.” (And The Real Deal has an entire roundup of zingers he delivered during the talk.)
Ironically, the tower’s defining feature is its windows, and Macklowe previously divulged that their rhythmic pattern was inspired by a Josef Hoffmann-designed trashcan. On every side of all 96 floors, there are six 10′ x 10′ windows, and though they form a nice exterior pattern, Viñoly isn’t pleased with how they’re thickly framed and waste space inside. Sources say Macklowe wanted the frames to highlight the Central Park views, but apparently tenants are already removing them. As for the interior design, helmed by Deborah Berke, Viñoly cites the bathrooms’ locations in the front of the units as one example of its shortcomings.
It should be noted that Viñoly and Macklowe are friends, though seemingly those who like to push each other’s buttons. Viñoly once described Macklowe as “a truck driver with an education in aesthetics,” and Macklowe has referenced the “penis envy” spearheading the city’s supertall race.
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