Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2016 July 30

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July 30

how to contribute an input on wikipedia?

Hi , my boss would like to get our company information on Wikipedia but I am not sure how and what to prepare for a contribution. I vaguely remember I need to submit some evidence of media exposure for that. Is there anyone can tell me what I need to submit and where to submit the information? We are an education group in Hong Kong. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 223.197.134.162 (talk) 03:19, 30 July 2016 (UTC)

Please read WP:YFA.--Shantavira|^{feed me} 08:04, 30 July 2016 (UTC)

I'd also suggest WP:PAY. If the OP's boss has asked them to write the article, they shouldn't do it. WP:CORP are the relevant notability standards. Tevildo (talk) 11:00, 30 July 2016 (UTC)

Also Wikipedia:Notability (organizations and companies). 220 of ^Borg 18:59, 30 July 2016 (UTC)

You can also tell your boss that unlike a corporate website, which you control, a Wikipedia article operates under different rules and if people want to add properly sourced material critical of your company, it will remain on the page no matter how much your boss doesn't like it. --Dweller (talk) Become old fashioned! 09:04, 1 August 2016 (UTC)

Building in unsatisfactory condition

I attach here a photograph of 58 Port Dundas Road, Glasgow, with this link.

I must ask, why is the building's exterior in such poor condition, it was only reclad in 2005 after all. I am very confused about this building and its history. After all, the building appears to be covered in some sort of blue net material. Wouldn't that destroy the good views out over the city from office windows.

After making a few phone calls and checking the Internet, I noticed some bizarre observations:

1. There are no planning permission documents that would explain or grant permission to all of this.
2. One guy I spoke to on the phone claimed that there were "health and safety" reasons for the blue netting, but after checking the web, I proved this wrong.
3. The building manager told me that some "legal" things happened, and that some sort of work is to start on Monday August 1st.
4. I have never witnessed any work actually being done to the exterior of the building.
5. The netting has been there for at least five years.

What is wrong with this building?!?! It's supposed to be new and modern. And yet, it makes no sense at all.

Please help me figure this out. I would like to know:

1. Why this building is the way it is?
2. What online information is available that I could use and could be linked here?

Thank you. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Pablothepenguin (talk • contribs) 17:31, 30 July 2016 (UTC)

I don't think there's going to be any way of telling from that photograph. Even when I zoom right in, I can't see anything. Even new buildings can have their problems though. Perhaps some of the materials used in its construction are deteriorating. Concrete cancer for example. This can cause lots of legal problems when trying to determine who's to blame. There's a shopping centre near me that's been covered in netting and propped up with acros since it opened, and their still arguing about what to do.--Ykraps (talk) 18:04, 30 July 2016 (UTC)

Some thoughts:

1) A building can deteriorate quite a bit in a decade, especially if it was poorly constructed, used substandard materials, or was not finished to the point that it is fully enclosed. The Revel Atlantic City casino and hotel is a recent example of a new building barely kept from catastrophe despite bankruptcy, lack of power needed to keep pipes from freezing, etc.

2) The netting material implies that they are worried about the exterior walls or windows falling.

3) Scrappers, vandals, and squatters might also get inside a vacant building, and cause damage. StuRat (talk) 18:11, 30 July 2016 (UTC)

Here is a closer look. Taken during the aftermath of an industrial accident in 2012. Pablothepenguin (talk) 21:54, 30 July 2016 (UTC)

March 2015 Transport for Scotland meeting note plans for the next 18-24 months work on recladding Buchanan House [1]. From what I've read, above, I'm guessing there were problems with the 2005 Thintech Nero Impala with fiberglass backer exterior wall cladding [2], resulting in the erection of safety netting, and legal action between the building owner's insurers and the insurers of the companies involved in the 2005 cladding. --Tagishsimon (talk) 00:00, 31 July 2016 (UTC)

Here's a missing piece [3]. It reads to me that the companies which 'owned' the building in circa 2009 didn't pay their mortgage, resulting in a refinancing operation the details of which are obscure to me, and ongoing action by the lender in conjunction with the original borrowers to arrive at a (presumably legal) resolution to the building defect issues, after which remediation is estimated to take 18 months to complete. --Tagishsimon (talk) 00:15, 31 July 2016 (UTC)

Here's a trace of the legal action: Fern Trustee 1 Limited and another v McLaughlin & Harvey Limited – claim against a design and build contractor arising out of the construction of a new office block (Buchanan House) in Glasgow as listed in the CV of a barrister [4]. The first is the property company, the second a Building and Civil Engineering company. No date, sadly. --Tagishsimon (talk) 00:23, 31 July 2016 (UTC)

What I still don't understand is, how can the cladding go wrong in only a decade? Also, how did it go wrong when I can't see any visible problems in the photographs. Pablothepenguin (talk) 20:51, 31 July 2016 (UTC)

If the job wasn’t done properly or the materials used were defective then ten years is plenty of time for things to go wrong. If we are talking about fibreglass, there are lots of things that can go wrong either quite quickly or over a prolonged period. Applying too much gel coat can lead to cracking but too little and tiny pin holes can develop, sometimes too small to see. Any water getting in can lead to delamination. If the matting hasn’t been kept dry the moisture will be sealed in by the gel coat and can result in cracking during freezing temperatures. Grease, oil and other contaminates can also prevent the gel bonding with the matting. I don’t see the mystery here.--Ykraps (talk) 23:28, 31 July 2016 (UTC)

Indeed, the Leaky homes crisis in NZ was starting to become a big issue in 2001 [5] [6] [7] and I'm fairly sure quite a few problems were noticed before then. And as per our article, most of the problematic buildings are from 1994 to 2004. Note also if a problem is detected with the cladding, it's not uncommon it's best to fix it as soon as you can, before further damage results. Nil Einne (talk) 13:56, 1 August 2016 (UTC)