The best architectural works around the world are celebrated, visited by millions, studied by students, and end up in magazines, postcards, and travel books. They are praised for their ingenuity, design, function, and form.
However, on the other side of the spectrum are disasters that simply failed to do their part. These mistakes echo in the world of architecture and remind people what improper planning or lackluster performance can bring. Here are some of the biggest modern architectural mistakes ever made.
Image source: cnbc.com
The John Hancock Tower in Boston was unveiled in the ‘70s and was riddled with problems from the very beginning. Taller buildings were designed to sway to absorb strong gusts of wind. This particular tower swayed too much and gave people on higher floors motion sickness. It also had recurring problems such as falling windows due to thermal stress. All windows would eventually be replaced at the cost of $5 million.
Sometimes, designs can weirdly impact the outside world. In the case of the Vdara Hotel & Spa, the curvature of the building collected solar beams and reflected them in a concentrated manner down on sunbathing tenants. In short, the architecture accidentally built a death ray that singed many guests.
Image source: cnbc.com
Lastly, Tropicana Field in Tampa Bay was home to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. The problem with the stadium is that above the field, there were several low lying structures that affected the games in a terrible way.
Hi, I’m JohnEilermann, and I live in St. Louis, Missouri. I’m an architecture student who’s fortunate enough to be based in a city where there is an abundance of great architecture. For more interesting reads on architecture, visit this blog.
