Newsletter - Links - Advertise - Contact Us - Privacy
 

The Zit Building Award

For the worst building completed since the last awards

Ayr bus shelter (Ayrshire)

Area: Ayr Town Centre Reason: The council spent £30,000. On an eyesore which has become a public toilet at night by drunk revellers. While the town's famous Tourist Attractions. Namely Burns Cottage is left to ruin. The Bus shelter is a long brick wall. A complete eyesore. Give South Ayrshire a Kick up their Bahookie Nominated by: Jason Kelly

BBC HQ (Glasgow)

Area: Pacific Quay Reason: It is just like a big box with no interesting external features at all. Â Moreover, it now blocks out the view, from the east, of the more interesting Science Centre and Imax Cinema buildings. Such a high-profile organisation could, I am sure, have had a superb building built. Â It may be beautiful inside but is not at all pleasing externally to anyone I have spoken to. Â Â Bad marks, too, to the Planning people at Glasgow Council for allowing this building to go ahead. Nominated by: Iris Moffat

Beatson car park (Glasgow)

Area: Grounds of Gartnavel Hospital, Great Western Rd, Glasgow Reason: Public transport improvements have been neglected in favour of a larger carpark which will be sited within 30 feet of people's bedroom windows. Lack of consultation with residents most badly affected - while consultation seems to have been good with residents living much further away. See masterplan for Beatson Phase 2. Nominated by: Elizabeth McGowan

Biomedical building (Glasgow)

Area: University Avenue Reason: What is function of the iron work on the outside walls ? To detract one's attention from the rather cheap tiles stuck on around the side walls of the building ? It should have been clad in natural stone all the wall round, and not just the end wall facing University Avenue. Indeed what a missed opportunity, what a disappointment, and I shall try not to look so closely at it when I pass. Nominated by: D. Clar

Couper Street apartments (Edinburgh)

Area: Leith, Edinburgh Reason: Not sure who the architect or developer was, but this has got to be the ugliest building in Scotland, and sadly typical of many new-build residential developments in the capital. Nominated by: John Lewis

Glasgow Fort (Glasgow)

Area: M8/ Easterhouse Reason: Faceless 'landmark' visible to thousands of people every day and providing no enriching experience Nominated by: M MacAulay

Holiday Inn (Edinburgh)

Area: Leith Reason: hahahahaha. Just look at it. Seriously, look at it. I mean, honestly. It's a shed. It's a bloody shed. And people are supposed to come and stay there and think Edinburgh is somehow a cool and groovy place. Hahahahaha. Who are we kidding? Nominated by: brian kennedy

Jury's Inn (Edinburgh)

Area: Market Street, Edinburgh Reason: I realise that this fits into no category, but I think you should set up a "special award" just to recognise the Jury's Inn in Edinburgh. Apart from Waverley Station itself, which is at least hidden in a valley, this hotel is a ghastly and jarring piece of 1960s architecture in a beautiful city centre. The sight of it from George IV Bridge, with Arthur's Seat in the background, makes you wish that there was an equivalent of a war crimes tribunal for city planners. I regret that the only exterior photograph I could find on the internet was a tiny little thing http://www.flyingvisits.ie/Edinburgh/Images/index.6.jpg. Unsurprisingly all the images on websites hoping to convince you to stay at the Jury's Inn are close-ups of the door or a highly romanticised artist's impression of the building. If I lived in Edinburgh I would hold a vigil outside the building with a petition for its destruction. Nominated by: Jack Malvern

Medical centre (Edinburgh)

Area: Lindsay Road, Edinburgh Reason: In an area of town that is desperately seeking life, colour and rejuvenation rise a block of flats built with the drabbest Grey Bricks ever to come out of a brickworks. Its' dismal facade is only matched by the Social Security building some 100 yards East of it. Perhaps the two buildings are having a private 'Zit' competition to themselves. Nominated by: Brian Pennycook

Necropolis (Glasgow)

Area: New build housing Reason: Buy a new house. Thats fine. But for gods' sake - next to a graveyard? Imagine getting up and looking out and seeing nothing but gravestones! Are these people insane? And how do we know that the houses aren't built on top of older graves? Haven't these planners seen Poltergeist? I think not! Nominated by: Iain Podesta

Omni Centre (Glasgow)

Area: Leith Street, Edinburgh Reason: Prime city-centre space cutting into view of Calton Hill with anonymous, corporate, bland design. Nominated by: Ruth Hedges

Paper mill (Ayrshire)

Area: Outside Irvine Reason: A blight on what should be a tourist area. The Mill will probably shut and remain a blot on the landscape Nominated by: Robert Young

Royal Infirmary car park (Glasgow)

Area: high st, glasgow Reason: located beside a beautiful old building of the GRI. missed opportunately. Nominated by: mpmcgowan Reason: There was no need to move it as the location at Bearsden was ideal for the type of patients,It is now a smaller hospital with an increase in consultants and and ever increasing demand on its services the lay out does not suite the patients the outpatient corridor is a prime example access is dreadful patient cannot afford to park and as a result of parking difficults staff are choosing to leave Nominated by: Maryellen Campbell

Scottish Parliament (Edinburgh)

Scottish Parliament
Reason: For a complete waste of taxpayers money to allow a lot of hot air to be debated. Nominated by: Robert Young Reason: This is the ugliest new parliament building in the world. Canberra comes second. A design chosen by a panel of well meaning under-achievers. Its too busy, it looks like the head office of a dying shipping company. Poor visual impact, very boring design, unimpressive, will probably fall apart in 30 years. Maybe then, they will build a good one. Nominated by: Bill Birrell Reason: Dysfunctional, design failure, a blot on Edinburgh's stunning architecture Nominated by: Mairi Robertson Reason: What a mish-mash of contrasting styles with no continuity to the supposed theme. That said the "upturned boats" theme should have been killed at birth. Nominated by: I Davies Reason: It's hideous and cost a fortune, what more needs to be said? Nominated by: Deborah Carsey Reason: It looks daft. What an embarrassment that it cost that much money to build an example of how "Not to be an Architect". Nominated by: David Worton Reason: Its gloomy, doesnt work, is ridiculously expensive - where do you start? But mainly its incredibly ugly - the upturned boats are fine when you look at them from above, but from inside and around, the building is a complete mish mash - the worst bits are the idiotic bamboo pole thingies across all the walls and windows and the ludicrous chicken shaped windows. Nominated by: Rob Malcolm Reason: Built in the wrong place. Should have been built in Cumbernauld - to replace one eysore (the Town Centre) with a newer one! Well, it would make a change wouldn't it? Nominated by: Tom Bell Reason: Ugly, depressing and a full faceworth of acne, particularly the Berlin Wall element - for once graffiti might be an enhancement. Nominated by: EdV Reason: Holiday home tat where the constructors' undeniable craftsmanship fails to obscure a crap design Nominated by: David Bruce

Scottish TV (Glasgow)

Area: Govan Reason: Not counting Border, this must be the most boring TV station in the world. Its proximity to the BBC makes it look all the more ridiculous. A Portacabin has better detailing.

Stockbridge retail park (Edinburgh)

Area: Linlithgow Reason: Over-development of important site at the western entrance to the town. Relatively huge sheds dominating nearby housing and minimal 'landscaping'. Will have severe effect on viability of shops in historic town centre - closures and semi-dereliction may result. Well-designed housing development with boulevard tree planting along the frontage would have created a better scale of development and a much more fitting approach to the town. Nominated by: Ron Smith

Stranraer Academy (Ayrshire)

Reason: Extremely ugly, unfinished building which should be burnt to the ground. Nominated by: Spunky

Tesco Extra (Glasgow)

Area: Dumfries Reason: Overwhelmingly large building with one blank white wall and another covered with garish signs Nominated by: Alex Anderson

The Matrix (Glasgow)

The Matrix
Area: Cowcaddens Reason: OK right picture the scene a few men sat round a table when one of them says “I know we can put bright orange panels on the side of the building that will look really good, a kind of Rubiks Cube effect. Now in any normal world the other members of that group would have shot them down in flames but no, they didn’t. And what did we get, a building that makes me cringe every time I see it The job ran miles over programme, the finishing is truly dreadful and I cant even start to imagine how much money the developer and the contractor lost on the project and to top it all off it is still sitting half empty !. You could argue that Glasgow wasn’t ready for such a radical building or you could just say that Glaswegians weren’t taking in by stupid tacky gimmicks. Al least the UGC Cinema isn’t far away so it can keep it company Nominated by: Abbey Donaldson Reason: Its just nasty! Its all messed up colours- someone was one acid when it was designed, it doesn't fit in with its surroundings (admittedly they aren't nice either on the whole!) but the worst thing about ot is that the architects and builders clearly think it fabulous! They call it art, they promote it as art and really its just a rank rotten builging block building! Nominated by: Katie Moore

The Monument Building (Glasgow)

Area: between London Road and Gallowgate at The Barras Reason: Inappropriate pastel colours. Already looks dirty. Instant slum. Build there by all means, but with material more sympathetic to Glasgow's traditions. Nominated by: Vince McGlennan

The Pinnacle (Glasgow)

Reason: set upon the plinth in front of Alexander Thomson's St Vincent Street Church and above Habitat , this potentially promising idea, perhaps conceived and no doubt approved as a high quality , well detailed cafe space has been so poorly constructed with obviously so little investment given it looks more like a crude, tin shack tool shed. It would be hard to imagine anyone chosing to sit there , it certainly does not provide any quality of design or space. It must be a winner Nominated by: William Young Reason: It looks like a cross between an STD clinic and a Travel-Inn. Nominated by: Daniel Murray

Trinity Housing Development, Bellway Homes (Glasgow)

Area: Clarkston Rd., Cathcart Reason: Where other gap sites in Clarkston Road have been filled with reasonably tasteful attempts at mirroring the old tenements - Toledo Court at Muirend is a good example of what can be done to preserve an image - Trinity is just awful. Over 2 sites either side of an 18th century cottage and a short row of Victorian flats, a cheap looking red and grey design, it has little to recommend it. I gather the locals were not too happy about the style and I for one hate passing it on my way into the City Centre. I'm sorry I don't have a picture of it - please go and have a look and see what you think. Leaving Glasgow, go past the Couper Institute and Trinity Church. You can't miss this eyesore!! Nominated by: Karen McQueen Reason: Ugly design and totally out of character with surrounding buildings Nominated by: Jeananne Kidd Reason: A MOST UNINSPIRING BUILDING WHICH DOES NOTHING TO ENHANCE THE AREA Nominated by: D>BURNS

Unite Student halls (Glasgow)

Unite Student halls
Area: Caledonian University Reason: Totally uninspiring gateway to Glasgow - and depressing environment for future generations Nominated by: meagain Reason: ugly - very prominent introduction to glasgow Nominated by: ck Reason: What a horrible return to 1960's towerblock construction, the fact that it is right next to the motorway only makes the gatewat to Glasgow that much more depressing with so many poor buildings along the route. I feel sorry for the poor students that have to live in it all that pollution can't be good for your health. Nominated by: Gordon Masterton

Back to The Carbuncle Awards 2005

The Carbuncle Awards
Subscribe to Urban Realm Magazine