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Architecture Biggest Failures

Even the smartest architects can have their "Oops!"

By Hugo BatelPublished 2 years ago 3 min read
Pisa Tower

You know architects, right? Those clever folks who create big, awesome buildings that last for ages. Well, guess what? Sometimes, they goof up big time! Imagine huge aquariums springing leaks with sharks swimming around or famous landmarks like the Leaning Tower of Pisa, which, by the way, was never meant to lean in the first place! It's like real-life comedy.

Now, here's a chuckle for you: Apple, the tech giant, decided to build a super-duper headquarters called Apple Park Campus. You'd think they'd make it perfect, right? Well, not quite. This place is supposed to look like a gigantic glass spaceship parked in a fancy garden, and it's super high-tech with solar power and even a theater named after Steve Jobs. Fancy, huh? But get this - the folks working on it argued so much about tiny details that some of them said, "I'm outta here!"

Apple splashed around a whopping five billion dollars on this place, but here's the kicker – people got hurt just walking around! Yep, you read that right. When you're going for perfection, accidents happen.

So, even though Apple is known for its cool designs, their headquarters is like a reminder that even the biggest geniuses can have a goof-up or two. After all, nobody's perfect, not even the tech titans!So, architects are the brainiacs who create these super cool buildings, right? They make these massive structures that are supposed to last forever. But guess what? Even these genius architects can make some hilarious blunders.

Take Apple, for example. They built this fancy Apple Park Campus that looks like a gigantic glass spaceship in a beautiful garden. It's got all the fancy stuff like solar power and a theater named after Steve Jobs. But here's the twist – the building is so perfectly transparent that people keep walking right into its walls! They can't even tell where the room ends. Imagine bumping into glass at full speed! Ouch! So, even Apple's $5 billion office can be a bit silly.

Now, let's hop over to Dubai, the city of towering skyscrapers, flying cops, and artificial islands. You'd think their mall's aquarium would be perfect, right? Nope! This mall is a shopping paradise, the biggest on the planet, with over 1,200 stores. And it has this mind-blowing aquarium with all sorts of cool sea creatures. But, hold on to your hats, one day, water started gushing out, and people had to run for their lives! Sharks and all! Turns out, someone messed up with the glue. Imagine being the person responsible for releasing sharks in a mall!

But the biggest oopsie in architecture history has to be the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Yep, that leaning tower was never supposed to lean! They started building it way back in 1174, and it started tilting just four years later. Then they had to pause because of wars, and the soil underneath was as wobbly as a jelly on a plate. It took centuries to fix, but now it's an iconic spot where tourists pretend to hold it up for funny photos.

And then there's Mount Rushmore, the famous heads of American presidents carved into a mountain. But did you know it was once called "Six Grandfathers" by Native American tribes? They thought it was sacred until the U.S. took it over. The sculptor who worked on it, Gutzon Borglum, had a history of making statues of Confederate leaders. But instead of cowboys and Native Americans, he went with famous presidents. The project ended up costing way more than planned, and they only finished the heads. People still argue about adding more presidents, but it's a touchy subject.

Lastly, we have the Tacoma Narrows Bridge, which was so wobbly that they called it "Galloping Gertie." Cars driving on it could feel it moving up and down. Then, one day, it just collapsed into the water, except for one sad casualty - a cute dog named Tubby. If that bridge had been in a John Wick movie, those architects would be in big trouble!

So, you see, even the smartest architects can have their "Oops!" moments. Maybe they should have to take a "Don't Build Leaning Towers 101" class in architecture school!

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Hugo Batel

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