Art, obsession, and identity
On May 28, 2023, a six-story apartment building in Davenport, Iowa, suffered a partial collapse, resulting in the rescue of eight individuals. Thankfully, there were no fatalities. According to the fire chief, a section of the building's back part unexpectedly separated from the rest of the structure, leading to a gas leak and significant water influx. The incident is believed to have been caused by damage sustained during a series of severe storms in 2020. Due to being irreparable, the building was demolished a few days later.
The ambitious aspirations for this 47-storey residential building in Benidorm, Spain were never fully realized.
Somehow the engineers forgot to include the elevators. Imagine carrying construction materials up and down all those flights of stairs!
The metal sheets, curved in various directions, skillfully redirect light towards the eyes of drivers passing by. Additionally, these sheets efficiently warm the building opposite the street, increasing its temperature by up to 9°C (48°F), and the sidewalk by up to 60°C (140 °F).
The London building known as 20 Fenchurch Street was initially praised for its architectural success until the unfortunate issue of its curved facade leading to chaos when the sunlight shines upon it.
The building emits such intense sunlight onto the street that it has been notorious for causing paint damage to parked cars. In a memorable incident, a news reporter managed to cook an egg solely with the building's heat.
Another architect was dazzled by the light at the Vdara hotel in Las Vegas.
The arched reflective structure focuses sunlight onto the pool, causing guests to suffer burns from the heightened temperature in the pool area.
A shopping mall in Dubai now features a 2.5 million gallon water tank that serves as home for the Dubai Aquarium collection. The impressive collection houses 33,000 fish species, along with 400 sharks and stingrays.
In 2010, a sudden crack in the glass caused water to rush into the mall, forcing shoppers to evacuate. Divers were summoned to fix the tank and, fortunately, no fish were injured.
The Ryugyong Hotel in Pyongyang was one of North Korea's many (failed) attempts to gain respect on the world stage as a country of cultural influence.
Construction on the 105-storey triangular hotel commenced in 1987 and remains incomplete to this day. Originally designed with 3,000 bedrooms, the hotel has yet to welcome its first guest.
The Lotus Riverside Complex in Shanghai was being built as a new residential project in 2010. However, in an effort to cut costs, shortcuts were taken, leading to the collapse of one of the 15-story apartment buildings right before its completion.
One man lost his life in the collapse, and half of the apartments had already been sold to hopeful families. Six officials were arrested and charged with causing the serious accident.
The designers of this New York playground once again displayed a surprising lack of planning by choosing steel as the primary material.
The park structures were unbearably hot during sunny days. The temperature was high enough to cook an egg, resulting in the need for a complete reconstruction of the playground using different materials.
This Chicago high-rise was constructed in 1973. The designers made a striking choice to envelop the building with Italian Carrara marble, the very marble used by Michelangelo for his sculptures.
It was discovered that this specific marble was completely inappropriate, leading to cracking. A sizable slab even detached and caused damage to the roof of a nearby structure.
This contemporary eyesore is regarded negatively by a number of people as it sits conspicuously in the heart of Prague's charming historic city.
An art installation has worsened matters by becoming a permanent fixture, resulting in the presence of statues depicting crawling babies on the tower's exterior.
The Chinese government constructed the Kangbashi District in Ordos City during the early 2000s as a new urban area designed to accommodate a population of around one million individuals.
Numerous structures were constructed in this city, including schools, stadiums, museums, hospitals, and residential housing. Despite this, the city remains unoccupied. Developers acquired the homes, yet no one chose to live there. This place is famously known as China's biggest ghost town.
This skyscraper in New York was an impressive engineering achievement during its construction in the mid-1970s.
Unfortunately, its reputation diminished when it became evident that the structure had difficulty resisting powerful winds and almost collapsed in a storm.
The W.E.B. Du Bois Library, located at the University of Massachusetts, is the tallest library in the US, with 26 storeys. Regrettably, this remarkable structure had one significant drawback.
The outward brickwork began to crack and buckle. Rumors circulated that the engineer did not account for the weight of all the books!
Santos, located in São Paulo, has gained notoriety for its peculiar buildings. Constructed during the 1950s on sandy ground and a layer of clay along the beachfront, these structures have now started to tilt. Astonishingly, inhabitants have observed that a ball can effortlessly roll across the floors of their apartments. The leaning champion in this category is the Excelsior building, which boasts an impressive inclination of 1.8 meters (6 ft)!
Structurally there's nothing wrong with this Ohio building, but what were they thinking?
Designing and constructing a building is a challenging endeavor that requires a team of seasoned professionals and substantial resources. With the accumulation of centuries of knowledge and adherence to strict safety regulations, it is expected that modern buildings would be secure. However, despite these factors, there are still instances where mistakes are made.
Explore the gallery to see some of the most notable design failures in recent times, ranging from hazardous structures to absurd architectural choices.
Famous construction and design mistakes
A few of these are still standing, albeit in a deteriorated state
LIFESTYLE Architecture
Designing and constructing a building is a challenging endeavor that requires a team of seasoned professionals and substantial resources. With the accumulation of centuries of knowledge and adherence to strict safety regulations, it is expected that modern buildings would be secure. However, despite these factors, there are still instances where mistakes are made.
Explore the gallery to see some of the most notable design failures in recent times, ranging from hazardous structures to absurd architectural choices.