Building Failure - Montreal, Quebec, Canada

[dik]

MONTREAL — Going to the library could be dangerous to your health.

The $98-million Grande Bibliothèque, Quebec's main library and archive, has been falling apart a few pieces at a time.

Glass panels have been slipping from the exterior of the five-storey building, but book lovers and pedestrians could be protected in a novel way: a proposed safety perimeter of gardens, trees and awnings, which is also the most affordable option.

The library, located in downtown Montreal near the main bus station, opened with great fanfare in the spring of 2005.

from Toronto Globe and Mail

 

[JStephen]

I remember when I was in college (not in Quebec), one of the campus buildings was shedding bricks- seems like it was an 11-story building. Ironically, it was the Architecture building.

 

[dik]

Those guys shouldn't even have T-squares, IMHO...

Dik

 

[HgTX]

JStephen:

Are you talking about something other than the 26-story UMass library tower? That's the quintessential brick-shedding college building. They put up a nasty-looking "temporary" chain-link fence that stayed up for decades, and then in recent years made something more aesthetic with pretty painted rails and shrubbery.

Hg

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[dik]

This building is only a couple of years old...

Dik

 

[HgTX]

The UMass library started having problems almost immediately. You'd think that by now, 35 or so years later, that it would have already spalled what it was going to spall, but apparently it's still going.

But there's a difference bewteen brick chips and large panes of glass...

Hg

Eng-Tips policies: faq731-376

 

[JStephen]

It was not UMass, but shall remaind nameless.