TEXT
The “Plywood Palace”
For centuries, people have tried to conquer nature. They have built tall skyscrapers and bridges over rivers. However, not all these efforts are successful. Bridges fall down, and building collapse. Even the pyramids in Egypt had problems, and the first few fell down.
People have built skyscrapers for years. It would seem save to assume that they now know how to do it. That is what a large U.S. company thought when it has built its headquarters recently. But, soon after the steel-and-glass building was finished, the windows began to fall out, crashing all over the streets. One windy night, 65 windows fell onto the street and had to be replaced by plywood. That’s when people started calling the building the “Plywood Palace.” This continued for years while a number of different solutions were tried, and lots of excuses were made Lawyers for the construction company even said that it is normal for windows to fall out from skyscrapers, but that everyone was being unfair and criticizing their building alone.
Finally, investigators found a mistake in engineering. The building’s irregular shape caused it to sway too much in the wind. The problem’s been solved already, and windows have stopped falling out. But, the building still has one unusual feature. Every day a guard examines it with binoculars to make sure the windows don’t start to crack again. And the insurance company, the architect, the engineers, and the builders are all in court suing each other.
Dostları ilə paylaş: |