Some of us remember the John Hancock Fiasco when I.M.Pei designed one beautiful all glass building in Boston, and before it was finished the windows started popping out. Theories of failure were abundant, and it turns out the problem was the glass was too well made. Oh well. After hearing a presentation on the Hancock, the presenter showed a slide (remember those 35mm things? pre Powerpoint) of the downtown skyline of Boston and said he was actively working on 11 other buildings that were losing slabs of limestone, granite, and bricks! I was reminded of this when I saw the following example of flimsy attachment of trim on a well built masonry building that had been gussied up with EIFS trim. There are two ramset fasteners visible and no more. The problem with making things foolproof is that fools are so clever. Did anyone watch this installation. Probably not. The “Structural” inspections had all been passed. This was in the realm of the painters. To avoid adding injury to insult we must remember that all things subject to gravity must be taken seriously.
This piece landed in an alley.