Other than being an eyesore that alters weather patterns and reflects enough heat to melt nearby luxury cars, London's 'Walkie-Talkie' building has been a roaring success.
A panel of architecture critics at Building Design magazine named the 37-story structure as the U.K.’s worst new building, according to NPR. Instead of being awarded a prestigious Stirling Prize, it was given the 2015 Carbuncle Cup.
Playfully nicknamed because of its slightly rounded, top-heavy shape, the building is officially called 20 Fenchurch Street. Architect Rafael Viñoly designed it, and it was completed last year, costing more than £200 million ($305 million) to construct.
The Walkie-Talkie is spacious: 680,000 sf and an occupational density of one person per eight square meters.
The design has been criticized for a number of reasons. The building has created wind patterns at street level that have knocked pedestrians around. Due to all the exterior glass and the curved shape, intense amounts of light reflects off 20 Fenchurch Street, which set a carpet on fire and melted a car parked on the street (a shaded structure was later added to negate this). The building has received a few nicknames off its nickname, including Walkie Scorchie and Walkie Windy. Even the building’s rooftop park, the Sky Garden, has been panned.
The Walkie-Talkie “defeated” other worst building entries like a YMCA gym and a parliament house.
Related Stories
| Oct 20, 2011
Johnson Controls appoints Wojciechowski to lead real estate and facilities management business for Global Technology sector
Wojciechowski will be responsible for leading the continued growth of the technology vertical market, while building on the expertise the company has developed serving multinational technology companies.
| Oct 18, 2011
Michel Bruneau wins 2012 AISC T.R. Higgins Award
The AISC T.R. Higgins Lectureship Award is presented annually by the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) and recognizes an outstanding lecturer and author whose technical paper(s) are considered an outstanding contribution to the engineering literature on fabricated structural steel.
| Oct 12, 2011
Vertical Transportation Systems Reach New Heights
Elevators and escalators have been re-engineered to help building owners reduce energy consumption and move people more efficiently.
| Oct 6, 2011
GREENBUILD 2011: NEXT Living EcoSuite showcased
Tridel teams up with Cisco and Control4 to unveil the future of green condo living in Canada.
| Oct 5, 2011
GREENBUILD 2011: Johnson Controls announces Panoptix, a new approach to building efficiency
Panoptix combines latest technology, new business model and industry-leading expertise to make building efficiency easier and more accessible to a broader market.
| Oct 5, 2011
GREENBUILD 2011: Sustainable construction should stress durability as well as energy efficiency
There is now a call for making enhanced resilience of a building’s structure to natural and man-made disasters the first consideration of a green building.
| Oct 4, 2011
GREENBUILD 2011: Methods, impacts, and opportunities in the concrete building life cycle
Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s (MIT) Concrete Sustainability Hub conducted a life-cycle assessment (LCA) study to evaluate and improve the environmental impact and study how the “dual use” aspect of concrete.
| Sep 20, 2011
Jeanne Gang wins MacArthur Fellowship
Jeanne Gang, a 2011 MacArthur Fellowship winner described by the foundation as "an architect challenging the aesthetic and technical possibilities of the art form in a wide range of structures."
| Sep 14, 2011
Lend Lease’s role in 9/11 Memorial & Museum
Lend Lease is honored to be the general contractor for the National September 11 Memorial & Museum project at the World Trade Center site in New York City.
| Sep 14, 2011
Thornton Tomasetti’s Poon named to the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat’s Board of Trustees
During his 30-plus years of experience, Poon has been responsible for the design and construction of super high-rise structures, mixed-used buildings, hotels, airports, arenas and residential buildings worldwide.
