Arch2O.com

Arch2O.com - Architecture & Design Magazine
From plagiarism to malpractice, believe it or not, many famous architects have faced litigation issues once or more in their lives. No matter how many years have passed after a building?s construction, the architect remains under question if anything went amiss. In Illinois, USA, the architect of a prison faced a lawsuit because an inmate committed suicide and the prison wasn?t designed to be ?suicide-proof?!
Win or lose, this will tarnish the reputation of the firm, no matter how renowned it may be, and drive away clients. This forced many architects to protect themselves and their firms, big or small, against such claims via liability insurance which is now a major budget item in most architectural practices. Here are some of the most notorious cases filed against prominent architects. 1. Palacio de Exposiciones y Congresos Ciudad – Oviedo, Spain
Photography by Flickr user Javier
 This spectacular shopping mall and government office block, designed by Santiago Calatrava, had an unfortunate incident while it was still under construction. A part of the building collapsed which led to the delaying of the project and a court verdict ordering the firm to pay over $4 million for the damages.
2. Johnson Museum Extension – Ithaca, New York, USA
Photography by Dmadeo
The malpractice lawsuit against Pei Cobb Freed and Partners, filed by Cornell University, resulted in the architecture firm, founded by celebra...