An architect was critically injured today when a crane at the construction site of the new Goldman Sachs headquarters, less than a block north of ground zero, dropped a load of metal studs, officials said.

The load of 25- to 30-foot long studs, which officials said weighed roughly 14,000 pounds, crashed onto a trailer in which the man was working at about 10:50 a.m., a spokesman for the builder, Tishman Construction Corp., Richard Kielar, said in a statement.

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The failure of a nylon sling carrying the load has been cited in early reports as the cause of the accident, a spokeswoman for the New York City Department of Buildings, Kate Lindquist, said. Forensic engineers from the department are investigating the incident, she said.

First responders rushed the victim, who was not identified, to St. Vincent’s Hospital in critical condition, fire department officials said.

The studs also crushed a section of scaffolding that appeared to be protecting a sidewalk for pedestrians. No pedestrians were injured, Mr. Kielar said.

In October, Tishman was forced to answer questions about its safety practices after a construction accident at another of the company’s project sites, the Bank of America Tower in Midtown. A large cart fell from the 53rd floor of the building, showering glass and debris onto the street below and causing eight minor injuries.

The department of buildings has ordered Tishman Construction Corp. to halt all of its crane operations at the Goldman site until the builder can demonstrate that the crane can be operated safely, Ms. Lindquist said.

Tishman Construction Corp. was also issued four violations from the department of buildings, two of which are related to the accident, Mr. Kielar said. The other two violations were issued for not providing toe boards and failure to maintain netting along the sides of the building, Mr. Kielar said.

“It appears, but is not conclusive, that there may have been a material failure that caused the accident but could not have been foreseen,” he said in a statement.

The load — which Ms. Lindquist said was lifted from the 30th floor of the building — was being transported to the 13th floor, Mr. Kielar said. The studs are used in constructing shaft walls.

Goldman Sachs was the first major corporation to agree to relocate its headquarters to lower Manhattan after the attacks of September 11, 2001, but later pulled out the deal over concerns about construction plans at ground zero.

In 2005, city and state officials, who pushed the project as a cornerstone of the redevelopment of lower Manhattan, agreed to pay the corporation $1.65 billion in tax-exempt Liberty Bonds to go forward with the move.

The $2 billion tower will be the first corporate headquarters built in Lower Manhattan since JPMorgan opened its home there in 1988. The planned 45-story tower is scheduled to open in 2009.