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Davenport apartment building, USA -

A six-story apartment building partially collapsed on May 28, 2023, in Davenport, Iowa, and eight people had to be rescued, though thankfully there were no fatalities. A chunk of the building’s back section had suddenly detached from the rest of the structure, and the collapse led to a gas leak and quite a lot of water gushing into the building, according to the fire chief. The cause of the incident is thought to be damage sustained during a severe series of storms in 2020. Davenport’s neighborhood services director told CNN that the building’s owners had permits for repair work for the exterior wall at the time of the collapse. The building was demolished a few days later as it was deemed unsalvageable. 

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InTempo Skyscraper, Spain -

The ambitious plans for this 47-floor apartment block in Benidorm, Spain never quite came to fruition. 

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InTempo Skyscraper, Spain -

Somehow the engineers forgot to include the elevators. Imagine carrying construction materials up and down all those flights of stairs!

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Walt Disney Concert Hall, USA -

The Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles was designed by famed architect Frank Gehry. His work tends to be innovative but highly impractical.

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Walt Disney Concert Hall, USA -

The curved metal sheets pointing in every direction expertly reflect light into the eyes of passing drivers. They also manage to heat the building across the street by up to 9°C (48°F), and the sidewalk by up to 60°C (140 °F)!

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"The Walkie Talkie," England -

Officially named 20 Fenchurch Street, this London building was considered an architectural triumph, until the sun came out. It has yet another curved facade that causes havoc.

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"The Walkie Talkie," England -

It reflects such strong sunlight onto the street below that it has been known to damage the paint of parked cars. One news reporter famously cooked an egg using only the heat from the building.

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Vdara Hotel and Spa, USA -

The Vdara hotel in Las Vegas is a case of another architect who was blinded by the light.

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Vdara Hotel and Spa, USA -

The curved reflective building channels sun rays directly into the swimming pool area. Guests have actually received burns in the pool due to the raised temperature!

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Dubai Aquarium and Underwater Zoo, United Arab Emirates -

A 2.5 million gallon water tank was built in the middle of a shopping mall to house the Dubai Aquarium collection. The specimens included 33,000 types of fish and 400 sharks and stingrays.

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Dubai Aquarium and Underwater Zoo, United Arab Emirates -

Disaster struck in 2010 when a crack in the glass suddenly sent water gushing into the mall. Shoppers were evacuated and divers had to enter the tank to repair it. Luckily no fish were harmed!

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Ryugyong Hotel, North Korea -

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.

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Ryugyong Hotel, North Korea -

The 105-storey triangular hotel began construction in 1987 and still hasn't been finished! It was intended to have 3,000 bedrooms for its many guests, but it has yet to receive a single one.

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Lotus Riverside Complex, China -

The Lotus Riverside Complex in Shanghai was a new residential project undergoing construction in 2010. But corners were cut in order to save money, and one of the 15-storey apartment blocks fell over just before completion.

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Lotus Riverside Complex, China -

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.

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Brooklyn Bridge Park, USA -

In another incredible lack of foresight, the designers of this New York playground decided to use steel as the main material.

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Brooklyn Bridge Park, USA -

Obviously the structures in the park were too hot to touch on sunny days. In fact, they were hot enough to fry an egg. The entire playground had to be rebuilt with new materials.

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Aon Center, USA -

This Chicago skyscraper was built in 1973, and in a bold and decadent move the designers decided to clad the building in Italian Carrara marble (the same kind of marble Michelangelo used for his sculptures). 

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Aon Center, USA -

It turns out this type of marble was totally unsuitable and it began cracking. One large slab actually broke off and crushed the roof of a neighboring building.

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Žižkov Television Tower, Czech Republic -

This modern monstrosity is considered an eyesore by many. It's plonked in the middle of the beautiful historic city of Prague.

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Žižkov Television Tower, Czech Republic -

To add insult to injury, an art installation became a permanent feature, so there are now statues of babies crawling up the side of the tower.

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Kangbashi District, China -

The Kangbashi District in Ordos City was built by the Chinese government in the early 2000s and was essentially a new city intended to home up to one million people.

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Kangbashi District, China -

They built schools, stadiums, museums, hospitals, and plenty of residential housing. However, the city remains empty. The homes were bought by developers but nobody moved in! It's referred to as China's largest ghost town.

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Citigroup Center, USA -

This New York skyscraper was a feat of engineering when it was first built in the mid-1970s.

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Citigroup Center, USA -

Sadly, it lost its prestige when it became clear that the building struggled to stand against strong winds and nearly fell over during a storm!

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W.E.B. Du Bois Library, USA -

Found at the University of Massachusetts, the W.E.B. Du Bois Library has 26 storeys and is the tallest library in the US. Unfortunately, the impressive building had one major flaw.

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W.E.B. Du Bois Library, USA -

The outward brickwork began to crack and buckle. Rumors circulated that the architect did not account for the weight of all the books!

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Santos, Brazil -

Santos in São Paulo is famous for its crooked buildings. The buildings along the beachfront were built on top of sand and a layer of clay in the 1950s. Naturally they are beginning to tilt and residents have noted that a ball will roll across the floor of their apartments. One building, the Excelsior, leans by 1.8 meters (6 ft)!

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The Basket Building, USA -

Structurally there's nothing wrong with this Ohio building, but what were they thinking?

See also: Do you know your interior design style?

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