Strengths and Weaknesses – Civil Engineering Project

You are a project manager for a civil engineering consultancy. Assess the structures below from the notes you took. For
quick reference for your computer files, you need to find 2 strengths and 2 weaknesses for each of the six structures in
the profiles below. Write the 4 adjectives in the boxes describing the structures and then read the 6 plans on the next
page that you have drawn up and then decide which plan should be applied to which structure.

Strengths or neutral Weaknesses

Ancient Accessible Bold Charming
Contemporary Cost-effective Cutting Edge Antiquated Bland Boring Cheap Costly
Durable Efficient Elegant Famous High-rise Controversial Dangerous Derelict Dilapidated
High-tech Historical Iconic Inexpensive Dull Hideous Impractical Inaccessible
Interesting Low-cost Low-rise Massive Ineffective Kitsch Lacklustre Monstrous
Medieval Modern Ornate Popular Practical Neglected Out-dated Obsolete Ramshackle
Prominent Robust Reliable Stately Redundant Rickety Rundown Shabby Tacky
Stunning Tough Unique Well-known Ugly Unfashionable Unmanageable Useless
Unsightly Unstable Vulgar Weak Wobbly

Windy Miller’s Windmill Farm School

This Windmill has occupied the site for
nearly 600 years, and it shows! The
building has been abandoned for the past
15 years and is now structurally unsound.
The peeling paint and falling masonry has
made it a hazard and caused it to be
fenced off to the general public in order to prevent any nasty
accidents from taking place. This hasn’t stopped the local
children from getting inside and playing. This has raised
concern among the local residents who have called for it to be
demolished. Oddly enough, despite its age, the building is not
protected. So demolition is a possibility.
Farm School was started 130 years ago
and has received visitors from all over
the world. Originally conceived as an
educational facility for extracurricular
activities, the complex has been used
for myriad purposes from genuine farm-management
training to film location productions. However, the cost
for the upkeep of this site has rocketed over the years.
Not so much for the buildings themselves but for the care
and management of the livestock which is subject to strict
animal welfare rules. The vets’ bills alone are huge.

Old Financial District Buddhist Temple

Described by some as an eyesore and others as
a classic example of modernist architecture,
the financial centre of the city certainly attracts
comment. It has, however, seen better days.
Office units are, for the most part,
empty. Yet, the local authority still has to pay for their upkeep.
This is not cheap and the company charged with the maintenance
for these buildings has not been fulfilling its contractual
obligations. Another reason for the lack of tenants for these offices
is the poor parking facilities on offer and the restricted traffic
access to this part of the city. There is an expensive congestion
charge in place to reduce traffic in this area.
Described by a Japanese trade delegation
as a monstrosity, and by others as
stunning, this local landmark has been
dividing public opinion for 30 years. The
temple was closed many years ago and it is
currently used as a community centre.
The building itself is surprisingly easy to maintain. However,
the shoddy building materials have rendered this somewhat
of a fire-risk. However, it seems to attract tourists and
students who like to take photos next to it, although not
always because of an affection for the design. The structure
has gained a reputation as a joke with architecture students.

Tower Bridge The Magic Roundabout

Described by some as a white elephant
and others as a crucial tourist attraction,
this faithful reproduction of a major
London landmark certainly excites
comment. The machinery that raises the separate parts of
the bridge is based on the actual designs of the real Tower
Bridge. The problem with this particular landmark is that it
is constantly breaking down. It also produces terrible traffic
jams in the centre of the city. Not only that, the structure
itself is unsound and moves constantly. There is no danger of
collapse as the volume of traffic is so small due to the width of
the narrow bridge, but it does cause concern. Despite all this,
the local residents absolutely love this bridge.
Daunting is the word that springs to mind
when approaching this junction by car, yet
this revolutionary roundabout, one of only
three in existence, is extremely popular
with the locals. However, it has been
found that some motorists, commercial and other, have been
avoiding the town so as not to go through the trauma of
navigating this complex system. As such, this has been of
concern to the local chamber of commerce and businesses that
rely on transport and tourism. That being said, the current
system is much less expensive than the traffic lights that were
previously used, as well as being operationally flawless. The
Chinese are said to be studying this design for their own cities.