1 Leaky Water Tower - Prize Winning Disasters of Architecture and Engineering

[C. Flower]

http://www.independent.ie/national-news/prize-836427m-water-tower-leaking-like-a-sieve-2203352.html




A LANDMARK water tower completed in 2007 at a cost of almost €3m has not been used because it is leaking.
Fingal County Council (http://www.independent.ie/topics/Fingal+County+Council) yesterday confirmed that the Ballycoolen Water Tower could not be used because of a "number of leaks" which were being fixed.
The 34-metre high tower won the LAMA (Local Authority Members Association) prize for the best Civil Engineering Project in 2008, and is designed to hold five million litres of water.


I've noticed over the years that a high proportion of "prize winning" structures end up with water pouring into them. More unusually, this one has water pouring out.

Over priced vanity projects, with "unconventional" i.e. untested designs seem to be loved by design juries.

Should the term "prize winning" architect or engineer be taken as a warning rather than a recommendation ?

I would be interested to know if this job has been signed off and paid for by Dublin City Council.



http://www.dublincity.ie/Press/Image_Gallery/PublishingImages/webimages/Sillogue-Water-Tower.gif

[Captain Con O'Sullivan]

I went to a school which had won an international design award. Within a year it was discovered that the ceilings contained materiel that was highly inflammable and the school started to crumble. The architect had long disappeared with his trophy under his arm.

[Baron von Biffo]

Is that the structure at the side of the M50 between the Red Cow and the airport?

[C. Flower]

Is that the structure at the side of the M50 between the Red Cow and the airport?


This seems to be it, but I've seen it linked to a number of different local authorities.


http://www.coffeygroup.com/Default.aspx?p=131&n=199

[C. Flower]

Fingal County Council -

http://www.communityvoice.ie/pages/CV109/CV109n06.htm