Everybody likes a good bad architecture contest. So once again we are pleased to link to this year’s, um, ‘winners’ of bd magazine’s Carbuncle Cup in the UK.
This year’s first prize:
The Liverpool Ferry Terminal sits in front of the Three Graces – a composition of buildings so significant it has UNESCO World Heritage Site status – “but the architects seem barely to have noticed,” said the judges.
Second prize:
Make’s Amenity Building at the University of Nottingham.
All the winners here.
I like that Ferry Terminal Building – the shapes and proportions remind me of the Seattle Public Library building (which I just discovered by Googling is closed for a full week (Aug 31 – Sept 6) due to budget cuts – the one week closure will save $655,000 (much of a $1 million budget reduction)). The hard surfaces of the building are what give it its shape, which you don;t see much in Vnacouver because of the preoccupation with glass.
As for the Amenity Building – the worst part of it is the metal siding on the sloped side. The colours are loud, but it’s not all bland biege.
I also really like the Ferry Terminal building. It’s interesting and it seems to fit in well with its surroundings there, plus the use of different coloured glass is a nice counterpoint to the beige.
As for the second prize, the colours are bold, close to obnoxious, but Ron was right in that the main problem is the metal siding down the back. If that were just glass it would be kind of neat.
There is plain a lot for me to learn outside of my books. Thanks for the great read,