British architects are now deciding which one of these six finalists is the worst building of the year

Jason Sayer

9 years ago

Six of the worst buildings in Britain, shortlisted by British magazine Building Design, will battle it out to claim British architecture’s least wanted trophy.

Foster + Partners’ Moor House in London, completed in 2005, is a previous Carbuncle Cup winner. (Courtesy Foster + Partners)

The projects were chosen by a panel comprising BD editor Thomas Lane; architectural critic Ike Ijeh; writer, broadcaster, and historian Gillian Darley; and architectural designer Eleanor Jolliffe. The list was whittled from ten projects put forward by readers who felt compelled enough to voice their distaste about the structures that rudely entered their view.

The Strata, a previous Carbuncle winner by BFLS, has been a landmark feature in London’s skyline since 2010. (Courtesy Skyscrapercity User: SE9; via Wikipedia)

The Carbuncle Cup is in its ninth successive year and is proving to be a humorous, tongue-in-cheek response to the Stirling Prize awarded by RIBA.

Pedigree, it seems, won’t save you from being shortlisted for the prize. Foster+Partners and Rogers Stirk Harbour+Partners have previously made the list for their Moor House office development and One Hyde Park projects in London.

Past winners include the Strata SE1 building in south London by BFLS and the Cutty Sark renovation in Greenwich by Grimshaw Architects. Last year, Sheppard Robson’s Woolwich Central took the prize.

The winner of the Carbuncle Cup will be announced next Wednesday, September 9. Take a look at this year’s finalists below.