The Carbuncle Cup was an architecture prize, given annually by the magazine ''

Building Design Building design refers to the broadly based architectural, engineering and technical applications to the design of buildings. All building projects require the services of a building designer, typically a licensed architect. Smaller, less complica ...

'' to "the ugliest building in the United Kingdom completed in the last 12 months". It was intended to be a humorous response to the prestigious

Stirling Prize The Royal Institute of British Architects Stirling Prize is a British prize for excellence in architecture. It is named after the architect James Stirling, organised and awarded annually by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA). The S ...

, given by the

Royal Institute of British Architects The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) is a professional body for architects primarily in the United Kingdom, but also internationally, founded for the advancement of architecture under its royal charter granted in 1837, three supp ...

. The cup was launched in 2006, with the first winner being

Drake Circus Shopping Centre Drake Circus Shopping Centre is a covered shopping mall in the centre of Plymouth, England, which opened in October 2006. The building was designed by London-based architects Chapman Taylor and built by Bovis Lend Lease. Situated behind the r ...

in Plymouth by

Chapman Taylor Chapman Taylor is a global practice of award-winning architects, masterplanners and interior designers, based in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. The practice has completed over 3,000 projects and won over 300 design awards over its history, i ...

. A shortlist was announced by the periodical each year, based on nominations from the public, and usually in the same week as the Stirling Prize shortlist. Free voting via the magazine's website was at first used to select the winner. From 2009 onwards, a small group of critics selected the winner. The award was inspired by the

Carbuncle Awards The Carbuncle Awards are architecture prizes, presented by the Scottish magazine '' Urban Realm'' (formerly ''Prospect'') to buildings and areas in Scotland intermittently since 2000. They were established following a discussion about why policy ...

that Scottish architecture magazine '' Urban Realm'', formerly ''Prospect'', had been presenting to buildings and areas in Scotland since 2000. The name derives from a comment in 1984 by the then Prince of Wales

Charles III Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person t ...

, an opponent of certain modernist styles and forms and a staunch defender of existing characterisations, themes and points of interest, who described

Ahrends, Burton and Koralek __NOTOC__ ABK Architects (previously Ahrends, Burton and Koralek) is a British architectural practice. It was founded in 1961 by Peter Ahrends (born 1933, Berlin, Germany), Richard Burton (born 1933 in London, United Kingdom, died 2017), and Paul ...

's proposed extension of London's

National Gallery The National Gallery is an art museum in Trafalgar Square in the City of Westminster, in Central London, England. Founded in 1824, it houses a collection of over 2,300 paintings dating from the mid-13th century to 1900. The current Director ...

as a "monstrous

carbuncle A carbuncle is a cluster of boils caused by bacterial infection, most commonly with ''Staphylococcus aureus'' or ''Streptococcus pyogenes''. The presence of a carbuncle is a sign that the immune system is active and fighting the infection. The ...

on the face of a much-loved and elegant friend". The event was last held in 2018.

Winners and nominees

References

{{reflist Architecture awards Ironic and humorous awards Architecture in the United Kingdom

Winners and nominees

See also

References