Complex - Bad Architecture lyrics

New Police Headquarters Architect: Jean Nouvel Location: Charleroi, Belgium Year completed: 2014 French architect Jean Nouvel has won many awards, including the Pritzker Prize, for his work on more than 200 projects. Although Nouvel is a distinguished architect internationally, he still makes mistakes. One such misstep is his New Police Headquarters in the city of Charleroi, Belgium. The project's goal was to preserve two wings of the existing building and also to add an extension. Nouvel's addition simulates a tractor beam from an alien ship, grasping the original cavalry building in its beam of metal and gla**. The new extension not only seems out of place for the area, but it also overpowers the existing structure. Experience Music Project Museum Architect: Frank Gehry Location: Seattle Year completed: 2000 Canadian-American Pritzker Prize-winning architect Frank Gehry is renowned for his "paper architecture." Because of Gehry's long history of provocative buildings, however, it's no surprise that some of his work is considered ugly. One piece that has received particular scrutiny is his EMP Museum in Seattle. The Seattle Times points out that it "still stirs debate, curiosity, and no small measure of snarkiness." Gehry's creation uses many different colors, materials, and planes to achieve its outrageous form. It is reminiscent of the architect's other work with its blatant disregard for context and continuity for the sake of showmanship. Barclays Center Architect: SHoP Architects Location: Brooklyn Year completed: 2012 Located in New York City, SHoP Architects was founded in 1996. The firm is led by seven principals: Christopher Sharples, Coren Sharples, William Sharples, Kimberly J. Holden, Gregg Pasquarelli, Jonathan Mallie, and Vishaan Chakrabarti. With over 160 architects and designers on staff, the firm has won numerous awards, including recognition from the Smithsonian's Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum and the American Institute of Architects (AIA) in New York City. Despite all their allocates, SHoP has made some regrettable design choices, the main offense being Brooklyn's new Barclays Center. The stadium, completed in 2012, has garnered a lot of criticism from the surrounding community. According to Business Insider, "A lot of residents think it's ugly, and some go as far as calling the Barclays center an 'eyesore.' The facade of the building is covered in Cor-Ten—a type of weathering steel. While it is popular among architects, it can look 'unfinished' and rusty." Fang Yuan Building Architect: C.Y. Lee Location: Shenyang, China Year completed: 2001 Taiwanese architect C.Y. Lee has many accomplishments to his name, including designing the world's tallest building (at time of completion, 2004). Unfortunately, Lee was also the man behind one of the world's ugliest buildings, according to Time Magazine: Fang Yuan Building in Shenyang, China. The building was designed to look like an old Chinese coin, which it accomplishes perfectly, but not without also being a strange addition to the city. Antilia Architect: Perkins+Will Location: Mumbai, India Year completed: 2010 Perkins+Will has a huge reach with offices in over 24 locations and a staff of over 1,500. The firm has won many awards, including the Honor Award for Civic Innovation, the Architecture Firm Award, and the National Honor Award from the AIA. In 2010 Perkins+Will completed the Antilia residence complex in South Mumbai, India. The complex, which according to The Daily Mail, "many Mumbai residents criticized as an ostentatious display of wealth in a country where most people live on less than $2 a day," has been decried as an example of the Indian upper cla**' lack of empathy for the poor. Each of the building's floors is made of different materials, which gives the structure a haphazard look. SIS Building Architect: Terry Farrell Location: London Year completed: 1994 British architect Terry Farrell has received many awards for his work. He's also behind the tallest building designed by a British architect. Despite his successes, Farrell also designed the British secret intelligence building, or the MI6 building. The UK's Independent describes the structure: "The edifice is all pectorals and gigantic shoulders, enveloping a bu*ton-sized, coiffured head, in the form of its central rotunda. A jagged a**embly of steps and semicircles, its movements are robotic, its speech deliberate and its skin-colored, fleshy protuberances thinly conceal a metallic inner structure." Tours Aillaud Architect: Émile Aillaud Location: Paris Year completed: 1977 French architect Émile Aillaud was known for his smooth, abstract forms, simplified compositions, and thoughtful use of public space. While all of these traits seem positive, when used incorrectly, they can result in a misguided building. This is where the Tours Aillaud comes in. The curved buildings are clad in earth tones and windows that look like speech bubbles. Also, the rounded forms severely date the structures. Some architecture critics have even gone so far as to suggest, "If the architect was trying to depict concrete being vomited upwards from the bowels of the Earth, then he was very successful." Selfridges Building, Birmingham Architect: Future Systems vLocation: Birmingham, UK Year completed: 2003 Founded in 1979 by Jan Kaplický and David Nixon, who worked with icons like Norman Foster, Renzo Piano, and Richard Rogers, Future Systems is a London-based firm specializing in bio-amorphous architecture. The practice has won the Stirling Prize for Architecture. One of their most recognizable buildings is the Selfridges Building in Birmingham. While the building's presence is a great promise for the city, the structure's style appears to be a blotch on the town. The Guardian even suggests that the building "proves to be not so much architecture-as-ocean-liner." Denver Public Library Architect: Michael Graves Location: Denver Year completed: 1995 Arguably one of the most famous architects of all time, Michael Graves is certainly a pillar in postmodernism. His buildings embody the movement to a tee, which is why many of them are seen as some of the ugliest in the world. One of these buildings is the Denver Library, which looks like a medieval castle haphazardly put together. Slate's architecture critic Witold Rybczynski dissected the structure: "Graves' colorful neocla**icism lacks gravitas; we don't know whether to be impressed or to smile." Aoyama Technical College Architect: Makoto Sei Watanabe Location: Tokyo Year completed: 1990 Winner of awards such as the ASLA Professional Award, the Gold Prize for Good Design, and the AIJ prize, Makoto Sei Watanabe is a distinguished Japanese architect. Watanabe has designed over a dozen buildings in his 24-year career. However, his first building, the Aoyama Technical College, is the architect's most unfortunate work. The red and silver structure is reminiscent of a robot trying to take over the city. It also made The Telegraph's list of "The World's 30 Ugliest Buildings." Sharp Center for Design Architect: Alsop Architects Location: Toronto Year completed: 2004 William Allen Alsop founded London-based architecture firm Alsop Architects in 2000 after 19 years working alongside other partners. Alsop's work has been compared to that of Richard Rogers and Norman Foster. While Alsop is an extremely talented architect, his work almost always causes a stir. One such building is his Sharp Center for Design, an extension to the Ontario College of Art and Design. The building has been praised for its provocative and unconventional style, but the structure's scale feels out of place in relation to surrounding city. The Sharp Center has even made it onto Reuters' list of the "Top 10 Ugly Buildings to Visit." Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum Architect: I.M. Pei Location: Cleveland Year completed: 1995 I.M. Pei was one of the first non-Western architects to rise to the peak of the global profession. Pei has won many awards, including the Pritzker Prize. However, a building that may haunt Pei's career is the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. While beautiful in its use of pyramid forms, the building lacks continuity. Even Pei himself has been quoted as saying that there is little harmony in the conflicting shapes. Geisel Library Architect: William Pereira Location: La Jolla, Calif. Year completed: 1970 American architect William Pereira is known for his futuristic designs. At the time of his d**h, the architect had over 400 projects to his name. However, Pereira is no stranger to criticism. One of Pereira's most unconventional buildings is the Geisel Library at San Diego University in California. The brutalist building evokes a space-age feel and challenges its surroundings with its intensity. It even made Reuters' list of "Top 10 Ugly Buildings to Visit." Linked Hybrid Architect: Steven Holl Architects Location: Beijing Year completed: 2009 Steven Holl's notable work includes the Pratt Institute Higgins Hall Insertion and the Bloch Building at the Nelson Atkins Museum of Art. One work by Holl that lacks his thoughtful minimalist approach, however, is the Link Hybrid complex in Beijing. This large complex, made of eight different buildings, dominates the surrounding area. With such a hold on the region, its oppressive windows and façade leave a lasting impression. Even other architects have criticized the complex. According to Washington-based architect and urbanist Howard Decker, "This is a remarkably cold, hostile, hermetic place. The disconnect with the surrounding urban fabric emphasizes the sense that the Linked Hybrid's principle references are to itself, not the larger city." Austrian Cultural Forum Architect: Raimund Abraham Location: New York Year completed: 2002 In 1992, Austrian architect Raymond Abraham, known for his visionary drawings, was chosen to design the Austrian Cultural Forum in New York. The building, completed in 2002, ended up being a mishmash of levels and protrusions. It even had the misfortune of making Forbes' 2002 list of "The World's Ugliest Buildings." The Shard Architect: Renzo Piano Location: London Year completed: 2012 Renzo Piano is a Pritzker Prize-winning architect. He founded the Renzo Piano Building Workshop in 1981 and has completed over 120 projects across the globe since its conception. Although Piano's firm has some of the profession's top talent, not all of his buildings are worthy of praise. In 2012, RPBW completed the Shard, a London skyscraper. The building has changed the face of the city and, according to The Guardian's art critic, Jonathan Jones, "The skyscraper has ruined London's skyline," completely altering it's a famous views by injecting itself into the iconic metropolis. Metropol Parasol Architect: J. Mayer H. Architects Location: Seville, Spain Year completed: 2011 J. Mayer H. Architects is a talented firm with the Mies van der Rohe Award, the Holcim Award, and the Audi Urban Future Award under its belt. One of J. Mayer H.'s missteps, however, was the Metropol Parasol in Seville, Spain. While a good design on paper, the execution and final product do little to engage the surrounding historic city. According to ArchDaily, the building has been "criticized by the citizens because of the contrast with the existing constructions." Morris A. Mechanic Theater Architect: John M. Johansen Location: Baltimore Year completed: 1967 John M. Johansen's brutalist Morris A. Mechanic Theater has left a mark on Baltimore with its heavy-handed forms. According to Baltimore Brew, it's "perhaps one of the least loved buildings in Baltimore." The building's concrete façade has been stained overtime, adding to the unappealing nature of the building. Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral Architect: Frederick Gibberd Location: Liverpool Year created: 1967 Frederick Gibberd designed close to three dozen buildings in his long career. The English architect, urban planner, and landscape designer was known for his work inspired by Le Corbusier and Mies van der Rohe. One of Gibberd's most well-known and unfortunate creations was his Metropolitan Cathedral in Liverpool. For this particular design, he was bound by a tight schedule and budget, which ultimately led to leaks and structural issues shortly after the building's opening. The building even made it onto Travel + Leisure's list of "World's Ugliest Buildings." Federation Square Architect: LAB Architecture Studio Location: Melbourne, Australia Year created: 2002 Melbourne-based LAB Architecture Studio's impressive reach has garnered them awards like the FX International Interior Design Award, the Urban Land Institute Award for Excellence, and the Chicago Athenaeum International Architecture Award. Even with all these awards and international recognition, LAB is no stranger to ugly design. Their Federation Square in Melbourne has been included on The Telegraph's "World's 30 Ugliest Buildings" and Virtual Tourist's list of eyesores. According to Austrian news outlets, the building was met with controversy for years, "undergoing a redesign before its belated October 2002 opening."