Top5 Secret Construction Mistakes Arround The World That Increase Construction Expenditures

Human errors often occur even in large construction projects, which are assumed to be well-planned. This artickle discusses significant construction mistakes leading to billion-dollar losses, lengthy delays, and near disasters in construction. We encourages viewers to share their thoughts on these mistakes in the comments. So let’s began.

5) 20 Fenchurch Street

One of the construction mistakes is the 20 Fenchurch Street skyscraper in London, sold for about 1.8 billion dollars, a record for a single building in the UK. Completed in 2014, it is nicknamed the “walkie-talkie” due to its shape and was labeled the ugliest new building in Britain. The major issue arose from its design; the building has a glass front that reflects sunlight unusually because of its concave curvature. During summer, the reflected sunlight was six times stronger than normal, creating extreme heat that melted parked cars and damaged sidewalks.

The architect, Rafael Vignoli, previously designed another building, the Vdara Hotel, which faced a similar sunlight reflection problem. Although louvers were meant to prevent this issue, they were removed during planning, leading Vignoli to admit he did not anticipate the intense heat. Eventually, a sunshade was added, costing around 14 million dollars to solve the problem.

4) Stuttgart 21

One of the construction mistakes is the Stuttgart 21, a major railway project in Germany. The project aims to rotate an entire train station by 90 degrees for efficiency. Initially planned for 5.4 billion dollars with a completion date in 2019, the project faced multiple delays and is now expected to open in late 2025, over six years late. Protest from the public and environmental activists contributed to the delays, along with difficulties in tunnel construction, where about 60 kilometers of tunnels are required.

A special soil that swells when wet complicates the work, necessitating the repetitive renewal of tunnels. Additionally, in 2017, protected lizards had to be relocated, estimating a cost of 18 million dollars, and some expenses for this relocation were as high as 10,000 dollars per lizard. Overall, the costs for Stuttgart 21 are likely to double, potentially reaching nearly 12 billion dollars upon completion.

3) Citigroup Center

The Citigroup Center is one of the construction mistakes in Midtown Manhattan, New York, standing at 280 meters tall. It has a unique design supported by four foundation pillars. In 1978, concerns about the building’s stability arose when civil engineer William Le Messurier discussed the structure with a student named Diane Hartley, who pointed out that the building could fall during strong winds because engineers had not accounted for winds hitting at angles.

Tests confirmed this was a serious issue. Le Messurier estimated that a wind strong enough to topple the building could occur every 55 years, but if the mass damper failed, winds strong enough to cause a collapse could happen every 16 years. If the building fell, it could lead to a domino effect damaging nearby skyscrapers. During this critical time, Hurricane Ella was approaching the city.

Engineers worked secretly at night for three months to reinforce the building by welding steel plates over joints to boost stability. Thankfully, the hurricane did not hit, and repairs were finished in October 1978. The full story was later revealed in an article 17 years later.

2) Jeddah Tower

One of the construction mistakes is the Jeddah Tower, previously the Kingdom Tower, is located in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and is intended to be the world’s first one-kilometer high building. Construction started in 2013 with a projected completion in 2018 as part of Saudi Arabia’s effort to enhance tourism.

However, the 2017 Saudi Arabian purge halted progress when key investors were imprisoned, leading to only a third of the tower being completed. After the investors’ release, construction remained paused, and the COVID-19 pandemic further delayed any restart. If left unfinished, the project could result in a loss of over a billion dollars.

1) Berlin Brandenburg Airport

Berlin Brandenburg Airport is one of the construction mistakes in Germany. The airport was initially expected to cost around 2.4 billion dollars and open in 2011. However, it faced multiple delays due to various issues, including planning company bankruptcy and fire safety non-compliance. The total costs ballooned to 8.3 billion dollars over 14 years, with the airport finally beginning operations in 2020. Even after opening, the airport struggles to achieve financial viability and may need an additional 2 billion dollars to avoid bankruptcy.