Contractors who were legally responsible for giant panes of glass falling into the street from a City office block have been ordered to pay almost £15 million in damages.
The new building at 125 Old Broad Street, on the site of the old London Stock Exchange, was heralded as a new City landmark when it was completed in 2008. But over the next four years, there were 17 spontaneous failures in the glass panels with which it was clad.
Some of the shattered panels were safely removed, but others fell into the street, although, miraculously, no one was seriously hurt.
The building had to be completely re-clad in 2013 but, even after removed panels were put in storage, they continued to fail. Earlier this year, the building’s owner took design and build contractors, Lend Lease Construction (Europe) Limited, to the High Court over the debacle.
Lend Lease did not design, supply or install the panels but bore contractual responsibilities to the building’s owners, 125 OBS Nominees.
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Mr Justice Stuart-Smith has now ordered the company to pay a total of £14,753,195 — before interest.
The judge found that at least 35 per cent of the toughened glass panels had not been heat soaked as they should have been. The panels had begun to fail almost immediately and did not meet the 30-year service life specified in the contract, he added.