Posted on 08/28/2009 5:05:29 PM PDT by bruinbirdman
The Pier Head Ferry Terminal in Liverpool has been named the country's ugliest new building ahead of London's Westfield shopping centre and the fire station at Poundbury, the Prince of Wales's Dorset model village.
A panel of experts from Building Design magazine unanimously voted the £10.5m building, designed by Belfast-based Hamilton Architects, as the most notable new example of bad architecture.
The judges said the damage the ferry terminal had done to Liverpool's waterfront, which is a Unesco world heritage site, meant it deserved the 'Carbuncle Cup'.
Amanda Baillieu, editor of Building Design, said: "It was given the Carbuncle Cup as much for where it is, as for its lack of architectural merit.
"The city's waterfront is one of the most important historical sites in Britain and you've got to be very careful with the architecture you put up there. What we get irritated about are architects trying to ape other famous architects.
"The result is abominable, complete pap and should never have been allowed to be built. It will look dated in only a year or two."
Organisers said this year's Carbuncle Cup had seen a record number of public nominations.
The award is made by a three-strong panel of judges.
A Merseytravel spokesman said: "We are proud of the Pier Head Ferry Terminal and have received widespread support for the building from the Merseyside community."
Hamilton Architects declined to comment on the award.
(Excerpt) Read more at telegraph.co.uk ...
I like it!
Maybe a Flinstone home?
The word “hideous” doesn’t even come close to describing it...
Yes that one is rather crap-tacular.
LOL!
What is wrong with those people? They’ve trashed a nice old city with all that modern crap.
Architects stroking each other instead of pleasing the senses.
It looks like a Flintstone’s building.
The thing about the architecture community is nearly any design will be bashed if it doesn’t follow the century old cookie-cutter symmetrical box form. This format naturally grew from the limitations of the materials and building techniques available at the time. There are more options now.
Looking at the photo it doesn’t really make me gasp in appreciation, but neither does it qualify as an eyesore.
I’d welcome a bit more experimentation in construction and diversity of design.
It looks like a building on the Bizarro home world. Bizarro is the anti-Superman in D.C. comics - the term Bizarro is used as to describe anything that uses twisted logic or that is the opposite of something else. That building is ugly but Bizarro would like it!
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