Here is an example:

You must know the horrific story about our Olympic Stadium, here in Montreal, who was built in the 1970s. People here call it: The White Elephant” or The Big Owe” because, so far it cost us more than 60 billion dollars and it is still not finished yet. The stadium wasn’t even finished in time for the 1976, Olympics. All sorts of problems occurred, fire, work strikes, etc. The tower needed more work. Still, the Olympics took place anyway.

It is the tallest incline structure in the world. It was supposed to have a retractable roof. In 1980s, they started to work again on it. At that time, I was in my early thirties, and I was working for Lavallin’s engineering firm, who got the contract. As I was drawing the construction plans, I knew that the retractable roof made of some fabric sheets called Kevlar, wouldn’t resists our cold and windy temperatures in the winter. I knew it in my guts and I told them. Of course, they did not listen.

Eventually, the sheet ripped several times, was repaired many times and finally replaced by another fabric and ripped again numerous times. The roof and large chunks of the tower fell also. It was hell on earth. They finally decided in the 1900s to put a permanent roof, who also collapsed, put another one and so on till now.

What bugs me and frustrates me, is that I had the solution in the early 1980s. I told the engineers that the structure of the Stadium did not seem to be able to hold the roof. I told them that the roof should be self supporting, by building new consoles and that we could put a permanent roof that would open by the middle (retract in two portions) and could be sliding on rails. maybe by pneumatic technologies. Once again, they did not listen.

Well, guess what? It’s happening now. A guy, not an engineer, not an architect, but a regular guy came out with the same idea and it was approved by the government. It should be completed in 2019.

See this article:

Discover François Delaney’s ingenious proposal about the retractable rooftop for the Olympic Stadium in Montreal
http://www.equinoxip.com/en/creation-of-the-olympic-stadium-rooftop.html

The article is in English, but the little video besides is in French. The engineer in the video, who approved the concept, said: “Why didn’t we thought of that before, it is such a simple and brilliant solution”.

That kills me! I thought of it in 1984 or 1985, I don’t recall exactly witch year..

And see the brilliant retractable roof it in action on a model:

STADE OLYMPIQUE – TOITURE OUVRANTE ET AUTOPORTANTE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AXW31OgW800