2016 Carbuncle Cup
On 7th September, Building Design awarded the dubious honour of the Carbuncle Cup for 2016 to London’s Lincoln Plaza high-rise development.
The Carbuncle Cup is an annual architectural prize awarded to ‘the ugliest building in the United Kingdom completed in the last 12 months’. A shortlist is compiled from public-voted nominations, and the winner decided by a panel of critics.
Lincoln Plaza’s victory makes it the fifth consecutive year that London has received the award.
Lincoln Plaza is located in South Quay, neighbouring Canary Wharf, and was developed by Galliard Homes and designed by the firm BUJ Architects.
The precise location was one of the factors in the panel’s decision, with them criticising the developer’s marketing commentary which sought to describe the tower as being situated in the more prestigious district of Canary Wharf.
The tower is characterised by its irregular stacked-box form, jutting rectangular balconies and Tetris-like coloured aluminium cladding. The panel described the tower as being:
‘...a putrid pugilistic horror show that should never have been built. In its bilious cladding, chaotic form, adhesive balconies and frenzied facades, it exhibits the absolute worst in shambolic architectural design and cheap visual gimmickry.’
It joins the ‘illustrious’ pantheon of ‘crimes against architecture’ such as the Walkie-Talkie building, Woolwich Central, and Strata SE1. See an overview of previous winners here.
The other shortlisted projects that were beaten by Lincoln Plaza were as follows:
Saffron Square, Croydon
The Diamond, University of Sheffield
One Smithfield, Stoke-on-Trent
Poole Methodist Church extension, Poole
5 Broadgate, London
[edit] Find out more
[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings Wiki
- 2017 Carbuncle Cup.
- 2018 Carbuncle Cup.
- Architectural styles.
- Building of the week series.
- Carbuncle Cup.
- Concept architectural design.
- RIBA Stirling Prize 2016.
- Unusual building design of the week.
[edit] External resources
Featured articles and news
The 2026 Compliance Landscape: Fire doors
Why 'Business as Usual' is a Liability.
Cutting construction carbon footprint by caring for soil
Is construction neglecting one of the planet’s most powerful carbon stores and one of our greatest natural climate allies.
ARCHITECTURE: How's it progressing?
Archiblogger posing questions of a historical and contextual nature.
The roofscape of Hampstead Garden Suburb
Residents, architects and roofers need to understand detailing.
Homes, landlords. tenants and the new housing standards
What will it all mean?
The Architectural Technology podcast: Where it's AT
Catch-up on the latest episodes.
Edmundson Apprentice of the Year award 2026
Entries now open for this Electrical Contractors' Association award.
Traditional blue-grey slate from one of the oldest and largest UK slate quarries down in Cornwall.
There are plenty of sources with the potential to be redeveloped.
Change of use legislation breaths new life into buildings
A run down on Class MA of the General Permitted Development Order.
Solar generation in the historic environment
Success requires understanding each site in detail.
Level 6 Design, Construction and Management BSc
CIOB launches first-ever degree programme to develop the next generation of construction leaders.
Open for business as of April, with its 2026 prospectus and new pipeline of housing schemes.
The operational value of workforce health
Keeping projects moving. Incorporating unplanned absence and the importance of health, in operations.
A carbon case for indigenous slate
UK slate can offer clear embodied carbon advantages.
Costs and insolvencies mount for SMEs, despite growth
Construction sector under insolvency and wage bill pressure in part linked to National Insurance, says report.