2010 Winner: Strata Building, Elephant & Castle, London
The Strata Building in central London’s Elephant & castle district was nominated by The Georgian Group for its “plain visual grotesqueness” and “breakfast-extracting” ugliness. From its barcode- like cladding to the concave front facade to the electric shaver cut of its upper levels, the 43-story Strata Building (designed by BFLS) certainly stands out – then again, the 480 feet tall block is Britain’s tallest residential building and it dwarfs anything in the neighborhood. On the bright side, BFLS claims the three large rooftop wind turbines can supply 8 percent of the building’s energy requirements… one assumes, when the wind is blowing in just the right direction. Negative reviews of the Strata Building far outweigh the positives, however. “Quite simply the worst tall building ever constructed in London,” said Ellis Woodman, deputy editor of Building Design and a man who doesn’t mince words. Continued Woodman, scathingly, “A skyscraper is an energy-greedy building form, both in terms of construction and the power needed to take people to their front doors in a lift. To top one off with some wind turbines is the worst sort of greenwashing.”
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The fish building in Hyderabad, India. The concept behind the building simply resembled the fish shape as the building meant to serve as the national fishers’ building. Also on another story, the building was supposed to be inspired the monumental fish located in Barcelona-Spain, which has been designed by Frank Gehry in 1992. The building was received a number of criticism due to its simple architectural form that literally copying the shape of the fish and paste it onto the site as a building. With no intention or whatsoever to make any effort to at least abstract the shape of the fish or break it down into simple elements and mediate the fish shape to re-form it later on as a building. Regardless of its failure in the aesthetics terms- the architect has also failed in terms of the Design’s functionality by locating the main floor on the first floor level. This means that the reception is located on the first floor and the main visitors will need to walk 20 steps on the stair to reach their destination! If the visitors’ age were above 60, in this case the building might be one of the reasons that will increase the heart attack for older people! And of course there is no need to mention the people with the special need or disability they probably were not meant to enter this building by any means! Shortly, if this building was representing the national fishers’ building no wonder how the sewers department would look like!! Is that what I think it is? Fans notice Qatari World Cup stadium 'resembles female genitalia' private parts - something that was almost certainly unintentional. The design, topped with a structure resembling the sails of a dhow, is meant to tackle the Qatari searing heat and also includes a spectator area outside the ground that will be temperature controlled at 30C to 32C. The plan gave no specific details how the cooling system would work, other than saying it would incorporate 'shading, aerodynamic and mechanical cooling components'. The question of the heat during a summer tournament has been a one of several controversies since Qatar was announced as the winner of the bid in December 2010. Qatar's summer, even if air conditioning is installed in the stadiums. Qatar's building projects have also been hit by allegations of migrant construction workers not being given enough food or water, as well as accusations of corruption over the voting procedure to win the bid. Officials have denied the accusations. 'Al-Wakrah is the first of six stadiums already in the latter stages of the design process, our committee has issued 10 major tenders to the market encompassing project and design managers and stadium-operation consultants,' Hassan al-Thawadi, the general secretary of the 2022 committee told reporters. He said the stadium, with a capacity of 40,000 people, would be completed by 2018, but declined to comment on the cost. Overall, the tiny gas-rich state plans to spend about $140 billion on a rail system, a new airport, a seaport, and hundreds of kilometers of new roads for the tournament, in addition to the stadiums that will host the matches. Asked how the committee plans to limit any risk of abuse to workers, al-Thawadi said the committee was dedicated to applying all clauses in its workers' charter to make sure the rights of the workers were going to be respected and upheld. 'If there are any deaths above zero that would be unacceptable for us,' he said. The Al-Wakrah, whichwill be built 12 miles south of Doha, is not the only building to have been attracted attention for that reason. In Chicagothe Crain Communications Building, which was completed in 1983 with a prominent vertical slit in the front, has been dubbed the Vagina Building. Antilia – World’s Most Expensive House This may look like a normal skyscraper but its actually a personal home. This twenty-seven story house, which is named Antilia, cost owner Mukesh Ambani $1 billion dollars to build. But with an estimated worth of $27 billion, he can easily afford it. Features include at least one swimming pool, a spa, a fitness center, a 50-seat movie theater, nine elevators, a ballroom, and tons of guest rooms. There are also three helipads, a 6 story parking garage large enough to fit 150 cars, and a staff of 600 that keep things running smoothly. Basically its the dopest house ever built, and the most expensive. But although the building has been completed for over a year Antilia remains vacant. According to Ambani the tower has “fallen foul of vastu shastra – an obscure Hindu version of feng shui” due to a lack of enough eastern facing windows. Mukesh has not yet moved in for fear that the house would bring bad luck on his family. When It Comes to the Stoop, Size Does Matter In some ways, this batch of six new townhouses on Lexington between Franklin and Bedford isn’t so bad–the bay windows and the cornice are a nice touch and the brick choice is unoffensive. But the proportion of the stoops is throws the whole thing off. (Check out the close-up photo on the jump.) Instead of setting the ground floor a couple of feet below grade in the style of older brownstones, it’s right at street level. This means that the stoop has to be that much higher and, therefore, deeper (which perhaps has something to do with why the houses are set back several feet from the adjacent facades). The result is a stoop that is massive in proportion to the three-story house. Does anyone know if there’s some kind of building code that results in a decision like this or is it just bad design? Ray and Maria Stata CenterThe Ray and Maria Stata Center at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) was designed by award-winning architect Frank Gehry. It opened in 2004 and houses the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, the Department of Linguistics and Philosophy, and the Laboratory for Information and Decision Systems. It was hailed for its logic-defying angles and walls that
challenged the laws of physics. Three years after it opened, MIT filed a negligence suit against Gehry, claiming design flaws in the $300 million building had caused major structural problems. Drainage issues had caused cracks in the walls. Icicle daggers hung pendulously from the roof like deadly sash weights. Mold grew on the building’s brick exterior. The school paid more than $1.5 million for repairs. A spokesman for the construction company, Skanska USA Building, claimed the company had tried to warn Gehry of problems with the design on numerous occasions, and had made repeated requests to use more suitable material. "We were told to proceed with the original design," the spokesman said. "It was difficult to make the original design work." Although Olympic officials have been forced to offer ticket refunds to seats with obscured views in the London Aquatics Centre, Zaha Hadid Architects denies that this issue is a result of bad design. During last few days, critics have been accusing Zaha’s curvaceous roof as a design blunder that has blocked many of the top rows from viewing the 10m diving board – the highest diving board that will host eight events and Beijing Olympics hero Tom Daley. As reported on bdonline, a spokesman for Zaha Hadid has insisted this is the result of a ticking issue, as the ticket
holders were not informed about the restricted views upon purchase. He stated, “The brief for the building from Locog was to provide 5,000 spectator seats with uninterrupted views of the 10m diving platform events.” “The centre actually provides over 8,000 seats with uninterrupted views of the 10m platform events. This is more than 3,000 additional seats than the brief required.” He further explained, “Locog approved the sightline studies and seating layouts over two years ago.” Officially the worst building of the year: 'Frankenstein' student flats with windows that face brick walls
Students are hardly known for their desire to keep their accommodation spick and span, with mould often left growing in the fridge and bins overflowing with half eaten kebabs and empty cans of cider. So perhaps it is only fitting that this year's ugliest building award has gone to the new University College London digs at 465 Caledonian Road, which judges 'struggled to see as fit for human occupation'. Described as a 'Frankenstein concoction', it saw off stiff competition from runner-up Castle Mill - also built as student accommodation - which has infuriated residents for blotting out postcard views of the dreaming spires of Oxford. Such is public anger with that building, calls have been made for a judicial review into how it came to be approved in the first place. But it was 465 Caledonian Road in the London Borough of Islington that stole Building Design magazine's Carbuncle Cup for the worst new building of 2013. Described as an 'outrageous housing scheme', 465 Caledonian Road offered 'deep grounds for offence in it's cavalier attitude to a historic asset,' according to the jury. The magazine accused the architect Stephen George & Partners of knowing 'a thing or two about grotesque overdevelopment', adding: The practice’s solution in Islington has to rank as the mother of all facadectomies.' Stephen George has declined to comment. The new development was built on a site previously occupied by a listed warehouse dating back to 1874. All but the front facade was pulled down to make way for the new building. The bit that was left was stripped of its windows and propped 2m in front of the historic building's replacement. But the retained openings do not align with the new windows leaving students nothing better than a brick wall as a view for the unlucky occupants. According to Building Design: 'Of the 44 student rooms addressing Caledonian Road, more than half have no eye-level outlook.' To compensate for the fact the new building was two storeys higher than the original, the builder removed the top of the old facade and added a new floor, before sticking the original top back on again. By Stuart Woledge Japan opens world's first inflatable concert hall to tour flood-hit area The world’s first inflatable mobile concert hall designed to tour the northeastern areas of Japan devastated in the 2011 earthquake and tsunami will open next week. The abstract structure called Ark Nova, created by the British sculptor Anish Kapoor and Arata Isozaki, the Japanese architect, will stage world-class concerts, events and workshops. The concert hall, which was established in collaboration with the organisers of Lucerne Festival, consists of a single skin membrane that can be easily inflated or deflated to enable its transportation around the region. The opening weekend will take place in the pretty coastal town Matsushima, famous for its cedar tree islands, which was badly buffeted by the 2011 tsunami that swamped the northeastern coast. Wood from tsunami-damaged cedar trees at Zuiganji Temple in Matsushima were used to create material for both acoustic reflectors and seating in the concert hall, which stretches 30m by 36m. Describing the concept of the project, Mr Kapoor told the Telegraph: “Ark Nova is the first mobile inflatable concert hall. We felt that the site in Matsushima, amidst the destruction of the tsunami, needed a temporary structure and an inflatable seemed to be appropriate.” Events at the new concert hall will range from classical performances by world-class orchestras to performances by modern Japanese musicians such as Ryuichi Sakamoto. The inaugural weekend in Matsushima will include concerts by the Sendai Philharmonic, traditional Japanese kabuki performances and musical workshops for children. The concept of an inflatable concert hall in Japan’s northeast was the brainchild of Michael Haefliger, the artistic and executive director of the musical event Lucerne Festival. “The images of 11 March, 2011 have left their mark on all of us. Since we at Lucerne Festival have maintained a very close relationship to Japan for many years, I felt a strong desire to make a contribution to overcoming the consequences of the catastrophe, within the scope of what we have to offer. “With the Lucerne Festival Ark Nova Project we hope to give the people who are living with this situation something more than everyday pleasure. Combining different arts and cultures, this project is a fascinating symbiosis of architecture, design, folkloristic and classical music as well as music education.” By Danielle Demetriou, Tokyo 11:33AM BST 24 Sep 2013 Intempo 47-Story Skyscraper Builders Forgot To Include Working Elevator, Oopsy The Intempo 47-story skyscraper builders forgot to design working elevators above the lower floors. It’s a blunder of astounding proportions for the troubled luxury project with a lovely beach view in Benidorm, Spain. The problem has existed for some time. However, the scandal exploded into public view late last month in Spanish news source El País when it was revealed that the upper flights of the Intempo building lacked adequate elevator access above 20 stories. And now the awful architectural blooper is earning international fame after being described in English language media. Jesus Diaz for Kinja described Benidorm as “a disgusting vacation spot in the Spanish east coast.” Essentially it’s an overbuilt crowded beach overrun by tourists. The 47-story Intempo skyscraper itself has become a symbol of Spain’s economic crisis. Planned in a hurry during the nation’s real estate bubble, the project was stranded when its original lending bank went broke. How did elevator access get overlooked? According to El País, there were multiple elevator problems — including a serious accident. But the short version is that the original project was intended to be 20 stories. Then the builders decided to make Intempo 47 stories tall but forgot to properly rescale their plans. So the elevators are too small and the motors not powerful enough. The architects in question have since resigned. But you have wonder if there’s more than just jaw-dropping incompetence going on in Benidorm, Spain. It seems as if some worker along the way might have mentioned to the boss that something wasn’t quite right with the 47-story skyscraper. But apparently morale on the Benidorm skyscraper project has been terrible. At one point, workers were being asked to go up 23 flights of stairs because a forklift hadn’t been installed for them.
So where does the project go from here? Well, according to their Twitter feed, Intempo is offering reduced prices on the luxury units. But they’re still not cheap ..... Clearly they have an expensive repair ahead of them to get the Intempo 47-story skyscraper equipped with a working elevator by the estimated December 2013 opening date. By: The Inquisitr |
By: Yahya Al-saeed
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