4. Terminal 2E at Charles de Gaulle Airport collapsed only a few months after opening in May 2004, the first of two airports designed by Paul Andreu to collapse that year
Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, located 16 miles northeast of the city of Paris, is the largest international airport in France. On May 23, 2004, only months after opening due to sustained delays during construction, a section of Terminal 2E collapsed. Taking place near one of the departure gates – Gate E50 – four people were killed and a further three injured. Designed by Paul Andreu, alarm bells started to ring when another of his creations, Dubai International Airport, collapsed whilst still under construction on September 28, 2004.
A public inquiry was opened into the incident, reporting in February 2005 that several design factors contributed to the collapse of the French airport terminal. Andreu’s design, in an effort to cut costs, offered little margin for safety, with the concrete vaulted roof insufficiently strong after being weakened by metallic pillars. With contractors blaming Andreu, and Andreu blaming the contractors, no official culpability has ever been formally dispensed for the accident. The following month, in the interests of safety the entirety of Terminal 2E was demolished and rebuilt at an approximate cost of €100 million.