Land Securities’ 20 Fenchurch Street, EC3, The Walkie Talkie, has won the annual Carbuncle Cup as the UK’s worst building.
The architecture award, awarded annually by Building Design magazine, is decided by judges who choose from a list of reader’s nominations.
The 37-storey office tower has melted car parts, created wind tunnels and had its SkyGarden compared to an airport terminal by critics.
Previous winners include Liverpool’s Ferry Terminal and Salford’s MediaCity UK.
Other nominations in this year’s running included Woodward Hall, NW10; the YMCA building, E17; and Parliament House, SE1.
Judge Ike Ijeh said that the Walkie Talkie was a disaster for London and its planning system.
Thomas Lane, editor of Building Design, told the BBC that it “crashes into London’s skyline like an unwelcome party guest. It bulges out towards the top in a cynical move to maximise the amount of high-value space at the upper levels, in defiance of the principle that tall buildings should taper elegantly inwards. The result is Londoners now have to suffer views of this bloated carbuncle.”
