NorthernLights Posted October 20, 2014 Share Posted October 20, 2014 Aberdeen has been nominated for the Plook on the Plinth award and I for one welcome this. The single sentenace summary of the nomination is straight to the point "Aberdeen: Where architecture goes to die" http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-29690860 So many new buildings have gone up in Aberdeen in recent years but I would sum up their style as "build for today, not for tomorrow". We finally got rid of St Nicholas House. Provost Skene House is more visible then it has been in decades have been pretty much surrounded by St Nicholas House. However no sooner has the dust settled then we get the next monstrosity to conceal this 500 year old building... http://www.marischalsquare.co.uk/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clarkston5 Posted October 20, 2014 Share Posted October 20, 2014 Aberdeen has been nominated for the Plook on the Plinth award and I for one welcome this. The single sentenace summary of the nomination is straight to the point "Aberdeen: Where architecture goes to die" http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-29690860 So many new buildings have gone up in Aberdeen in recent years but I would sum up their style as "build for today, not for tomorrow". We finally got rid of St Nicholas House. Provost Skene House is more visible then it has been in decades have been pretty much surrounded by St Nicholas House. However no sooner has the dust settled then we get the next monstrosity to conceal this 500 year old building... http://www.marischalsquare.co.uk/ I think you'll find that the Granite city hasn't allowed architects who design the products of their LSD induced hallucinations to f**k the place up. I'd take this award as a compliment. Look what was deemed one of the "best" http://www.urbanrealm.com/buildings/953/Caer_Amon_Apartments.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ludo*1 Posted October 20, 2014 Share Posted October 20, 2014 That Marischal Square looks like something out of the 80's. They obviously have a point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CountyFan Posted October 20, 2014 Share Posted October 20, 2014 To be fair it's a horrible looking place. I live in Aberdeen but I wish I didn't, it's genuinely awful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clarkston5 Posted October 20, 2014 Share Posted October 20, 2014 To be fair it's a horrible looking place. I live in Aberdeen but I wish I didn't, it's genuinely awful. It's a beautiful city Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clarkston5 Posted October 20, 2014 Share Posted October 20, 2014 Nothing wrong with the 80's, mate. ImageUploadedByPie & Bovril1413826912.852347.jpg That that pudding Hewitt? now there's a plook Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Romeo Posted October 20, 2014 Share Posted October 20, 2014 If you like grey Aberdeen is the place for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CountyFan Posted October 20, 2014 Share Posted October 20, 2014 It's a beautiful city Aye, compared to Mogadishu. Thousands of pounds a month to rent a box room above a takeaway? No thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clarkston5 Posted October 20, 2014 Share Posted October 20, 2014 Aye, compared to Glasgow or Dundee. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ludo*1 Posted October 20, 2014 Share Posted October 20, 2014 Clarkston5, on 20 Oct 2014 - 19:13, said:CountyFan, on 20 Oct 2014 - 19:06, said:Aye, compared to Glasgow or Dundee. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Granny Danger Posted October 20, 2014 Share Posted October 20, 2014 The ugliest thing about Aberdeen is its residents. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
invergowrie arab Posted October 20, 2014 Share Posted October 20, 2014 Aberdeen is a fucking heap of a place. Howrver it did give us pick a number and anna marie ashe. Im pro aberdeen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RiG Posted October 20, 2014 Share Posted October 20, 2014 The Fraser Noble building is pretty ghastly as well: That said the rest of the University Campus is quite nice. Kings College is a lovely part of the city. A lot of the new developments in Aberdeen are awful. There's a new Travelodge (I think) on Justice Mill Lane which is one of these "modern" designs and is awful as well (EDIT: It's a Park Inn): However, what will be the worst building in the entire city by a country mile will be the redevelopment of Triple Kirks - a dilapidated church which will be surrounded by steel and glass in...well, whatever this is: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NorthernLights Posted October 20, 2014 Author Share Posted October 20, 2014 The Fraser Noble building is pretty ghastly as well: Fraser Noble Building.jpg That said the rest of the University Campus is quite nice. Kings College is a lovely part of the city. A lot of the new developments in Aberdeen are awful. There's a new Travelodge (I think) on Justice Mill Lane which is one of these "modern" designs and is awful as well (EDIT: It's a Park Inn): However, what will be the worst building in the entire city by a country mile will be the redevelopment of Triple Kirks - a dilapidated church which will be surrounded by steel and glass in...well, whatever this is: They're moving some Maersk shipping containers onto the the art gallery as well. Fair play to Dundee, they seem to have something resembling a plan and vision for their redevelopment. Aberdeen council and their partners are just throwing any old random shite up regardless. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RiG Posted October 20, 2014 Share Posted October 20, 2014 Yeah I read about the Art Gallery one as well. Apparently they will be battering through the marble entrance hall as well! Despite widespread opposition to the plans ACC went ahead with it. Private Eye has featured Aberdeen several times over the last year or so in their Nooks and Corners (?) section because of the continual arse ups they seem to be prone to. If Aberdeen wins it will be thoroughly deserved. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hedgecutter Posted October 20, 2014 Share Posted October 20, 2014 The Triple Kirks image just sums it all up tbh. Anything the city council plans up seems to entirely office based. If it's not offices or hotels for business then just forget even mentioning it, as shown by the recent go ahead for the Marischal Square plans which would a ridiculous waste of space with great potential right in front of one of Scotland's most impressive buildings. Overall, I really don't think that Aberdeen deserves it as these modern glass and steel office monstrocities are few and far between some great (albeit old) architecture which is almost as well preserved as it was when they built the things. Granted however that some parts are pretty grotty looking with regards to the pollution which they've collected and just happen to be the places most people see for obvious reasons. A shined up Union Street would genuinely look amazing (just see the West End which has been privately maintained) but judging from the cost of granite washing the front of Marischal College, it would cost an absolute fortune to do even a fraction of Union Street and I seriously doubt Poundland or Sports Direct are going to fork out for any of it on their own buildings. However, I kind of hope it wins it as a massive "F*** You" to the council who really need something like this to give them a kick up the arse over their complete lack of ambition and long term planning. To go all Renton from trainspotting, it's a shite state of affairs and 7 parks in the city centre and some flowers won't make any fcuking difference. The Victorians who even went to the business of removing a hill without machinery and re-routing a river underground to completely reshape Aberdeen's city centre for the better must be turning in their graves. Despite widespread opposition to the plans ACC went ahead with it. I have a cunning idea that the people of Aberdeen should vote and campaign for the things which they really don't want so that the council will purposely ignore them as usual and actually build things which the residents collectively like. -------- Additionally, that Park Inn building which featured on the news (known as the 'IQ building') won 'good' awards from the (fun sounding) British Council for Offices - the Best Commercial Office of the year award 2012. The 'atrium' in the middle of that office must be one of the countries most expensive waste of spaces btw. About a quarter of the thing is hollow. Link Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CountyFan Posted October 20, 2014 Share Posted October 20, 2014 I've said it before, but Aberdeen City Council is an embarrassment. Completely unfit for purpose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmothecat Posted October 20, 2014 Share Posted October 20, 2014 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NorthernLights Posted October 20, 2014 Author Share Posted October 20, 2014 If you want to see the good and bad side of Aberdeen architecture I recommend this episode of Off-Kilter, a BBC documentary series. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hedgecutter Posted October 20, 2014 Share Posted October 20, 2014 Let's not forget the cracker that is John Lewis (formerly Norco)... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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