City officials ordered the partial construction stoppage of a third office-to-residential conversion project in Manhattan on July 28, The Wall Street Journal reported. The pause on work at 750 Third Avenue followed the halt to work at 222 Broadway on July 30, according to The Wall Street Journal. Both of the orders resulted from enhanced Department of Buildings outreach and inspection following a structural failure on the former Pfizer building office conversion job on July 7. Experts told Construction Dive the enhanced scrutiny and number of work stoppages are both predictable and unprecedented. Though it’s ordinary for an agency such as the DOB to ramp up enforcement and outreach following a headline-grabbing occurrence, the size and scope of the response is unique. “Whenever a major incident occurs, the government often responds with more scrutiny. That is normal,” said Dan Rosenberg, principal at Much Shelist in Chicago. “The pure scale and scope of this incident is staggering, however.” Sources, in part, attributed the heightened response to New York City being the largest and most densely populated city in the country and the high value of its real estate, much of which is currently being converted. “When DOB sees [a structural issue], they will look at similarly situated projects to ensure those are proceeding safely. In that type of situation, the inspectors err on the side of safety, stopping any work that deviates from the code or approved plans,” said Carol Sigmond, New York City-based partner at law firm Nossaman. “That is what is happening now.” Violations on every building Then again, the rules and regulations around construction, especially in the Big Apple, are so numerous that it’s hardly surprising structures weren’t in perfect compliance to begin with, experts said. “It’s impossible to find a building in New York City that doesn’t