kids encyclopedia robot

Unfinished building facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
Szkieletor2
The Szkieletor, an unfinished building. It was started in 1975 and is now too expensive to finish or tear down.

An unfinished building is a structure that was being built but was stopped. This can happen because the project was completely given up on, or just put on hold for a while. Many different things can cause a building to remain unfinished.

Why Buildings Don't Get Finished

There are several common reasons why a building might not be completed.

Money Problems

One of the main reasons is a lack of money. Building huge structures costs a lot. If the money runs out, construction has to stop. For example, the National Monument in Edinburgh, Scotland, was meant to be a memorial for soldiers. Building began in 1826, but the funds ran out just three years later, in 1829. It has remained unfinished ever since.

Missing Plans or Designers

Sometimes, the people designing the building or their plans are lost. The famous Sagrada Família, a large church in Barcelona, Spain, is a great example. Its main architect, Antoni Gaudí, died in 1926. He was hit by a tram. He hadn't left many detailed plans for the rest of the building. What plans were left were later destroyed during a difficult time in Spain's history, the Spanish Civil War. This war also made it hard to find money and workers to continue the project. Even though it started in 1882, it is still being built today!

Other Challenges

Other issues can also stop construction. These include unexpected problems with the land, changes in building rules, or even natural disasters. Sometimes, a building might just become too expensive to finish or even to tear down, like the Szkieletor in Kraków, Poland.

Famous Unfinished Buildings Around the World

Many buildings around the globe have interesting stories about why they were never completed.

Images for kids

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Edificio sin terminar para niños

kids search engine
Unfinished building Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.