This would clearly pose many complicated technical/engineering issues. From what I have gathered, this is a new/innovative approach to modular high-rise construction, but I am not familiar with some of the examples other comments have mentioned.

If you watch video of the Chinese hotel projects that employ modular, pre-fab units, they drop boxes into place, attach a curtain/window wall (perhaps prefab, but not part of the modular unit) and then complete the interiors. These units are essentially complete (minus furniture) as soon as they are attached to the framing (allegedly).

Not quite sure why people are slamming the design. It isn’t particularly beautiful or iconic, but it appears to me that it reinforces the street front well (in a rather traditional, but functionally urban manner), and the interiors look to have great natural lighting and are no smaller/cramped than apartments in traditionally constructed residential buildings in NY (or any dense city). It’s a rather modest building architecturally (by SHoP standards at least), but not offensive. This is architectural innovation on a technical front only, perhaps, but it doesn’t seem like the “quality of space (socially, economically, architecturally)” has suffered for it. Just one person’s long-winded opinion though.

An other problem is the evolution. Decades ago all the efforts were focused on urban planning, composition, technology, materials, social relations and there was a continuous evolution in one or more of those subjects. Nowadays, most of the times, it’s just fake economics, fake sustainability and fake themes.