12 Engineering Mistakes That Worked Out

Not everything created matches the blueprint. There are times engineers finish a project before realizing there’s a big problem with their design.

Problems arise from poor project management and bureaucracy too. Mistakes happen, and plans change. Mistakes can doom a construction project, but not every mistake is a failure.

We’ll take a look at a few that turned out all right.

Gisborne Railway

The landscape comes at a premium in New Zealand — one of the world’s smallest countries — and building large-scale transport isn’t easy, especially when the left hand doesn’t know what the right is doing.

Because of this, the Gisborne Airport has a functional railway line that crosses the main runway, which sounds like a recipe for disaster. However, despite two different types of vehicles moving close enough to each other to make you nervous, there has never been an accident. It helps that the airport is a small, regional facility used only for private flights or flights to Australia.

The Walkie Talkie

There are some incredible and unique buildings in London, England. One such structure is a building nicknamed The Walkie-Talkie, because of its unique shape.

Sadly, the skyscraper located on 20 Fenchurch Street was voted the worst building in the United Kingdom in 2015. The shape led to some accidents nobody saw coming — the glass front reflects sunlight so intensely that it set a carpet in a neighboring building on fire in 2013, melted the roof on a luxury car below, and created wind tunnels strong enough to knock pedestrians over during high winds.

Despite all of these incidents, the building still stands and is adored by Londoners.

Sydney Opera House

Australia’s Sydney Opera House isn’t just one of Australia’s most iconic buildings, but one of the most iconic buildings in the world. Most people love the building’s design — so many are surprised to hear that it’s a classic example of bad project management.

In 1959 the foundations were laid, and construction was supposed to be finished in 4 years and cost around $7 million. It took 14 years to build, and by its opening day, it cost over $100 million.

The issues began when the government ordered construction work on the outer shells before the architect, Jørn Utzon, had finalized the design — meaning the designer had to supply updated plans to builders while in the middle of the building process. In the mid-1960s, frustrated by delays and impracticalities, Utzon resigned from the project and took his original designs with him, meaning other designers had to finish the project without his blueprint. It’s a miracle it ever got finished at all.

Baku Railway Highway

In Baku, Azerbaijan, trains cross onto busy highways without warning, nearly crashing into passing cars. Images of this went viral in 2016, prompting the Baku government to reconsider the design and remove the railroad. The area is much safer now.

Railway Market

If you visit Mae Klong in Thailand, you will find one of the largest fresh seafood markets in Thailand — the Mae Klong Railway Market — conducting business along an active railway line, in the same place. Six trains run directly through the street every day, and vendors quickly get out of the way when they approach.

The vendors have it down to a science, knowing exactly when trains run through. The railway market is known as the most dangerous market in the world, but it hasn’t been closed down due to the sheer stubbornness of the traders.

The John Hancock

A famous building in Boston has gone by many names over the years, most commonly The John Hancock Tower. It’s also known for its shoddy construction work.

Built in the 1970s, the person in charge of securing the windows and window frames did a poor job — several window frames fell out and plummeted to the busy sidewalk below. Thankfully, no one was hurt. The five-year construction delay sent the project $100 million over budget, and when it did open, it swayed so much in the wind that occupants suffered from motion sickness. The issues were eventually resolved.

Walt Disney Concert Hall

The Walt Disney Concert Hall in Downtown Los Angeles is another example of a building that didn’t get completed on time and didn’t turn out as intended.

Construction began in 1992, sparked by a $50 million donation from Lillian Disney. It didn’t welcome its first guests until 2003, by which point it had cost $274 million — the parking garage alone cost $100 million.

The project stalled entirely between 1994 and 1996 while they sought additional funding. When resumed, the expensive stone exterior was substituted with stainless steel, which proved problematic — the highly polished panels on the Founders Room and Children’s Amphitheater reflected and intensified the sun, heating nearby sidewalks to 140 degrees Fahrenheit and nearly blinding neighboring residents. After about a year, they sandblasted the offending panels to eliminate the glare.

Chicago Aon Center

The Aon Center in Chicago, once known as the Amoco Building, is 1,100 feet tall — the 4th most massive skyscraper in Chicago, and in 1973, the 4th tallest building in the world.

The building was constructed with Carrara Marble, thin marble that had never been used to clad a building before. A 350-pound piece fell to the ground on Christmas Day in 1973, crashing through the roof of the Prudential Center. In 1985, an inspection discovered major cracks and bowing on some central panels — the building had to be strapped in stainless steel to prevent the marble from falling off. From 1990 to 1992, it was refaced with Mount Airy white granite at an estimated cost of over $80 million.

Brooklyn Bridge Park

In 2010, a new playground was installed at Brooklyn Bridge Park with metal climbing domes designed as one of the primary attractions. The team forgot how hot steel gets in direct sun — on the hottest days, the domes would become so hot that children playing on them would receive immediate burns.

Following complaints, officials planted trees for shelter and installed temporary tents, but the tents didn’t fully solve the problem. The family of a toddler burned by the equipment won a $17,500 settlement from the city. Officials eventually closed off access to the three steel climbing domes and replaced them.

Venice Glass Bridge

Santiago Calatrava designed a glass bridge in 2008 in Venice, but it wasn’t prepared for the volume of foot traffic it received. After several pedestrians fell and were injured, he was fined $150,000. The designer said the glass steps would need replacing once every 20 years — instead, eight of them required replacement just four years after opening. When it rains, the glass makes it nearly impossible to balance while crossing.

China Train in Apartment Complex

Chongqing, China, has a train line that runs directly through the middle of an apartment building, complete with a transit stop. The nine-story apartment complex existed before the monorail — in 2004, the city wanted to expand its railway service and originally intended to tear the apartments down, but reconsidered and found another way. The apartments have since increased in value due to the novelty and convenience.

Nail Houses

In China, “nail houses” are homes marked for construction work whose owners refuse to move, even after being offered several times the home’s value. One notable example is a nail house in Wenling, China — a five-story home left standing in the middle of a new road. The owner eventually accepted a “vastly inflated” price of $41,000, and the home was demolished. Many more still stand across the country.