Rebuilding Place in the Urban Space

"A community’s physical form, rather than its land uses, is its most intrinsic and enduring characteristic." [Katz, EPA] This blog focuses on place and placemaking and all that makes it work--historic preservation, urban design, transportation, asset-based community development, arts & cultural development, commercial district revitalization, tourism & destination development, and quality of life advocacy--along with doses of civic engagement and good governance watchdogging.

Wednesday, September 06, 2017

UK Carbuncle Awards

Call attention to the worst of the previous year's architecture, and are "awarded" by a leading architecture publication, Building DesignThis year's "short-list" included an addition to Preston Railway Station by AHR architects that replaced a similar addition that had been done in an appropriate period style decades before.

Preston is notable also for a massive brutalist style bus station that they've had a hard time repurposing ("Love, hate and concrete: The battle for Preston Bus Station," Independent).

civic pride

I guess the Preston bus terminal demonstrates that buildings of all types can grow on you. I wonder how many past Carbuncle nominees are now looked upon more fondly?

New Butler Street entrance to the Preston Railway Station by AHR

Preston Railway Station, before

Shockingly, that addition wasn't the winner, which was the Nova Victoria, London, by PLP Architecture.

Although I'd say that if the Nova Victoria is Britain's worst new building, then the US has many more that are worse, or at least, very dull.

Then again, it is particularly context-insensitive. The red color was used to reference the red in the Roundel logo of the London Underground, and the proximity of Victoria Station.

Nova Victoria building, as seen from Victoria Station

Nova Victoria by PLP Architecture, as seen from Vauxhall Bridge Road

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