European Parliament snagging list grows

Dubbed 'Faulty Towers' in some unfriendly circles, the new £250M EU Parliament building in Strasbourg currently boasts what must be one of the longest snagging lists in recent memory ­ reportedly documenting 10,000 defects.

The list includes unserviceable lifts, inadequate air conditioning, unreliable electricity and a lack of direction signs. Whilst engineers and builders struggle against deadlines to put things right, early occupants of the building have resorted to posting their own hand-written signs ­ apparently many people were getting lost amongst the 1000 offices, 29 conference rooms, four bars and three restaurants.

Problems range from the simple and predictable ­ given the scale of the project ­ to other, more fundamental design issues. Disabled MEPs have complained about limited or non-existent access, for example.

In addition, there have been complaints about an 'excessive use of black' in the design scheme.

In the context of recent EU soul-searching, some members are asking again whether the Brussels-Strasbourg functional split makes sense.

Elliott Chase