Airport Terminals Collapse

There is an eerie feeling that the Dubai airport terminal collapse looks too familiar to the Paris Terminal collapse. In fact they both have the same architect whose recent project include the following terminals:

Dubaï, Terminal 3

Charles de Gaulle, Terminal 2 E,

The commission that looked into the first collapse in Paris seemed to say that the sudden collapse is linked to the perforation of the concrete roof by the struts (supporting it). The science of concrete is a very difficult one, especially when it comes to computing its performance in an inventive type of architecture. Hopefully these accidents will be studied very carefully so we can have an answer like we did for the sleipner platform collapse which also included concrete walls.

On a related note, I think I understand how people get to be chosen in order to bid on contracts like these and I can see how a certain amount of ego goes into the decision making process. But, I do not understand how little emphasis there is on the functionality of these airports. When I fly out of Charles de Gaulle, I certainly do not expect the nice design of the buildings to give me a more interesting flight experience. I would rather that they put an emphasis on, the following:

• Is security good ?
• How cheap is the airfare ?
• Can I get for free on one of these airlines clubs ?
• Do I have an internet connection in these clubs ?
• Can I board first ?

When I land in Paris, I look at the following:

• Can I get out of the plane first ?
• Can I get to customs without having to ask people where to go ?
• Can I get through customs without having to wait for an hour (because they are all at lunch) ?
• Can I get my luggage fast ?
• Can I find some ATM machine fast ?
• Can I quickly find a Taxi or a shuttle bus ?

Most of these items do not need the airport buildings to look good. Most airports including CDG fail at providing a decent solution to these expectations.