What is Brisbane's Ugliest Building

What is Brisbane's Ugliest Building

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Posted 2014-02-26 by Geraldine Masseyfollow
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When it comes to architecture everyone's a critic. And why not? Buildings are not just utilitarian; they can profoundly affect our quality of life. In cities especially, where the uplifting beauties of nature are blotted out by large but necessary structures, there is a need for beautiful architecture. But what is beautiful architecture?

We're all familiar with the "'beauty is in the eye of the beholder" mantra but I like Swiss-born British philosopher, Alain de Botton's take on the architecture debate when he says that people relate well to buildings that display positive qualities like strength and intelligence, through their materials, shapes or colours. We generally prefer order and harmony.

It seems to me that there is a large element of The Emperor's New Clothes in the usual discussion of modern architecture. We are told by 'experts' who speak their own arcane languages, that an eyesore really is beautiful, but we just don't understand modern architecture. The recent Flinders Street Station Design Competition is a case in point. Compare the 2 images below and guess which vision for the iconic site was the winner.



[ADVERT]The jury of "eminent architects and other experts" chose the submission on the left, stating that it "subtly relates to the existing buildings" and was "a beautiful and compelling integration of aspects of the original station design". Subtle? Integration? Really? I'd say that whatever its functional merits are, it "sticks out like a sore thumb", as my grandfather was wont to say.

Unsurprisingly the People's Choice Award went to the one on the right. It was ranked first in all the voting categories because of its concentration on green spaces and its integration with the station's cultural heritage and the surrounding urban precinct. Now I'm not saying that the original station buildings are beautiful because they're old, or that the People's Choice would work in a real world application. Neither am I saying that all modern architecture is bad. But a lot of it is graceless at best and downright repulsive at its worst.

Which brings us to Brisbane. Brisbane is blessed with some lovely heritage architecture and some interesting modern buildings, but there are many that ruffle feathers and ignite debate. The Brisbane Square home of Brisbane City Council comes in for its fair share of criticism for its punches of bright colour amongst the largely grey surroundings. Kurilpa Bridge has attracted tags such as "pickup sticks" and "oversized knitting needles", despite being judged the World Transport Building of the Year in 2011. The Upper Mt Gravatt headquarters of the Australian Tax Office are a testament to the concrete "edifice complex", and Brisbane Transit Centre and the buildings of QUT's Gardens Point Campus usually cop a fair amount of flak.



Some of my candidates for Brisbane's Ugliest Building follow, but what about you? Please let us know what Brisbane structure gets your vote as the city's biggest architecture failure?

Clem 7 Southern Ventilation Outlet and Northern Ventiltion Outlet



This elephant may not be in the room but it looms large and, dare I say, ugly at the southern end of the Clem 7 tunnel. It's supposed to reference Brisbane's glorious jacaranda trees, while its northern counterpart is said to highlight the red, spreading poinciana trees. I beg to differ. What say you?

Indooroopilly Railway Station



A carnival, seaside paint job seems somewhat out of place at a train station in Brisbane's western suburbs. It is.

Lady Cilento Children's Hospital



This is due to be completed later in 2014 but is already showing signs of being a monstrosity-in-the-making.

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117993 - 2023-06-12 20:24:37

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