Ugly high-rises

[Jerry2]

I like it too

[tamias6]

I've seen uglier. But still this Bell South office building fails to rank high on my top architectual prettiness list. In fact, I can easily visualize Disco Balls, Leisure Suits, and elevated platform shoes. Oh let us not forget that shag carpet in the CEO's top floor office suite.

Bellsouth Tower in Birmingham. It is so shockingly nasty that it is impossible to drive by it without laughing.

[tombarnes]

I have seen worse, but I wouldn't call it a terribly graceful building. As for the Smith County Office Building in Tyler, that was built in the late 1950's as the Carlton Hotel. Its days may be numbered, as I understand that it is indeed in poor condition. I doubt that there will be many who wish to save it.

[Rardy]

abandoned medical building in Memphis. If this thing were a car, it would be an '80s, yellow, buick station wagon with 3 hubcaps missing.

[gso27]

This is Postigirobygget, Oslo, in 1991. The building was rebuilt two years ago.

The image has low quality, but you can see abetter version of the picture here.

[kkaplan]

This is a hotel, or would have been a hotel. I like it because it's so big and bizarre and apocolyptic...and yes it's ugly. They say the crane will fall and eventually the building will follow. 105 stories I believe.

[dmccall]

I really LIKE the BOA tower in Atlanta, especially as it sits between better buildings to the south and north. The base, though, is boring and off-putting.

That tower in New Orleans is the most hideous building I have ever seen; tower or not. It looks like a guard tower at a prison. When we went to NO a few years ago, that tower ruined my trip. I couldnt get away from it. It just kept looming there, depressing me. ugh! Katrina should have ruined THAT building, not so many others.

[Nashvillain]

Here's my nominee, the newly completed Viridian condo tower in Nashville, and that's because I don't have a picture of the developer's equally horrible Cumberland. The materials on this thing are totally cheap, and there's almost no architectural design to speak of, just green, plastic-looking windows and balconies strung between unrelieved strips of concrete for 30 stories. Its proximity to the vastly superior L&C is a total shame.

[mcheiss]

Again, this building looks fine to me, infact I would love to have one in my own backyard.

[tamias6]

The building in question looks okey to me. However the structure next door to it is not doing any asthetic favors to the building in question.

Here's my nominee, the newly completed Viridian condo tower in Nashville, and that's because I don't have a picture of the developer's equally horrible Cumberland. The materials on this thing are totally cheap, and there's almost no architectural design to speak of, just green, plastic-looking windows and balconies strung between unrelieved strips of concrete for 30 stories. Its proximity to the vastly superior L&C is a total shame.

[Nashvillain]

The building in question looks okey to me. However the structure next door to it is not doing any asthetic favors to the building in question.

[Allison Slater]

I think the same thing could more easilly be said about the L&C..

replace green plastic glass with black voids between strips of white plastic-looking lines surrounded by a mound of concrete for 30 stories. Oh, and with no architectural design to speak of. (It's no more a box than the Veridian is.)

[memjax2187]

I take back my previous post. I forgot the most obvious candidate. Hands down:

http://www.emporis.com/en/il/im/?id=274712

39 stories of gray concrete and faded "colorful" panels. A huge complex of buildings that, thankfully, was never fully realized back in the 1970's. The original master plan included dozens of structures similar to this one and thousands of apartment units. It looks particularly atrocious after a rainstorm, when the concrete is streaked with dark grays.

Sad, because I know the architect. He's really a nice guy!

[dgreco]

the bell south is one of the ugliest buildings I have ever seen. Thank you for that

[Rardy]

I take back my previous post. I forgot the most obvious candidate. Hands down:

http://www.emporis.com/en/il/im/?id=274712

39 stories of gray concrete and faded "colorful" panels. A huge complex of buildings that, thankfully, was never fully realized back in the 1970's. The original master plan included dozens of structures similar to this one and thousands of apartment units. It looks particularly atrocious after a rainstorm, when the concrete is streaked with dark grays.

Sad, because I know the architect. He's really a nice guy!

[tamias6]

This is the Swiss Re Building, a skyscraper in London

Since it pretty much speaks for itself as to what it looks like, I'll just leave it at that.

[Gusterfell]

^Gotta love the Gherkin!

From that angle it looks like a blimp.

[peaceloveunderstanding]

This is the Swiss Re Building, a skyscraper in London

Since it pretty much speaks for itself as to what it looks like, I'll just leave it at that.

[TBurban]

For me...it's one of those buildings that looks good, as long as it's not in my city. I do love its different shades of glass though.

[dgreco]

For me...it's one of those buildings that looks good, as long as it's not in my city. I do love its different shades of glass though.

[tombarnes]

It looks like it ought to be hanging on a very large Christmas tree. There's no doubt that it is interesting. Whether it is a good piece of urbanism may be another matter entirely.

[Ronald]

Try this hella ugly residential highrise in Utrecht, the Netherlands:

Or this one (this is a part of Utrecht University, where I study):

IMO, Utrecht has plenty of ugly neighbourhoods. But it has a nice historic city center.

edit: pics should work now

[Rardy]

Try this hella ugly residential highrise in Utrecht, the Netherlands:

Or this one (this is a part of Utrecht University, where I study):

IMO, Utrecht is an ugly town overall. But it has a nice historic city center.

[mcheiss]

I disagree. That building is one of the coolest ever constructed.

[tamias6]

Yuck! Those high-rises scream East German Communist Blocks. Very Depressing.

Try this hella ugly residential highrise in Utrecht, the Netherlands:

Or this one (this is a part of Utrecht University, where I study):

IMO, Utrecht has plenty of ugly neighbourhoods. But it has a nice historic city center.

edit: pics should work now