2016 Prickster Prize Laureate: One World Trade Center
*The Championship Round Has Concluded!*
It’s that time of year again. March Zaniness. In correlation to the zaniness, there will be an annual architectural bracket to award The Prickster Prize. Last year, Daniel Libeskind won the World’s Worst Architect Bracket. Instead of doing the same theme, and having some guy in Pennsylvania vote 200 times for Daniel Libeskind to win yet again, I figured I would use the previous bracket’s winner to influence this years topic: World’s Worst Pointy Architecture.
This years’ worst architectural prize – The Prickster Prize – will thus be awarded to the Prickliest Building.
Indeed, the pointy folded building can oftentimes be an inspiring object. A folded geometry can create beautifully continuous surfaces and can provide increased structural support. Furthermore, a deconstructive building with sharp angles can be a great counterpoint to a historical relic. However, acute angles merely for sculptural effect provide for un-occupiable situations for humans. And, since the essence of the built environment is to allow for experiential spaces – for homo-sapiens – pointy spaces oftentimes are ill-conceived.
When this year’s judging panel nominated buildings (built and unbuilt) for the The Prickster Prize, with the theme of World’s Worst Pointy Architecture, two consistent pointy themes emerged. The Spire. And the Shard.
Both can be heinous architectural features.
The Spire is most often planted atop skyscrapers. Pretentiously acting as a beacon, spires oftentimes are tacked-on appendages by developers clamoring for recognition within The Guinness Book of World Records.
The Shard is usually a horizontally-angular appendage. A remote stand-alone building with acute angles oftentimes is a proper solution to emerge within a rural environment. However, within a city grid, acute angles impede upon the existing urban structures – solely boasting of their uniqueness.
Click Here for a Printable Bracket
- An esteemed panel of architectural experts has reconvened to analyze the world’s worst buildings, and have narrowed the field to 12 of the “worst” pointy buildings to be awarded the 2016 Prickster Prize.
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2016 Prickster Prize Nominations
One World Trade Center
SOM
Committee Ranking:
1
Committee Comments:
400’ of an extraneous spire does not symbolize American freedom – it represents wastefulness. Then again, wastefulness does represent America.
Tokyo Skytree
Nikken Sekkei
Committee Ranking:
1
Committee Comments:
Wikipedia states that this is built in the Neofuturistic Style. Apparently, Giant Ugly Building isn’t an architectural style.
Auditorio de Tenerife
Santiago Calatrava
Committee Ranking:
1
Committee Comments:
A giant pointy headdress fixed atop a building is probably supposed to be an inspiring sculptural and engineering achievement. Instead, Santiago Calatrava watched the movie 300 too many times, and just wanted to design a giant Spartan helmet.
Westin Hotel (DIA)
Gensler
Committee Ranking:
1
Committee Comments:
It’s interesting that the fabric-structure at Denver International Airport’s main terminal, designed by Fentress, was intended to mimic a “mountain-range.” Yet, in relation to this new focal point, these “mountains” appear weightless. The architects insist the angle is purely functional – and isn’t representative of airplane wing lapel pins. However, it’s mighty difficult to overcome imagery of a pelican too fat to take flight.
VM Houses
PLOT
Committee Ranking:
2
Committee Comments:
The jury wasn’t going to put Bjarke Ingels Group on this list, as Brady they felt badly about the overabundance of anti-Bjarke rants on this website. But due to an unwillingness to google “pointy buildings” anymore, Bjarke’s only building that isn’t also a skate park does has very threatening spiky balconies.
Burj Khalifa
SOM (Adrian Smith)
Committee Ranking:
2
Committee Comments:
The Burj Khalifa is supposed to be modeled after a Spiral Minaret. I guess. Perhaps, SOM clad 400 spiral minarets in vertical tubes, and then added a giant pointed spire on top.
Denver Art Museum
Daniel Libeskind
Committee Ranking:
2
Committee Comments:
Libeskind states that “his architecture shouldn’t be comfortable.” Well call me uncomfortable, as I’m afraid I’ll need an eye patch after visiting his buildings.
The Lagoons in Dubai (Unbuilt)
TVS Architects
Committee Ranking:
2
Committee Comments:
If the Great Recession did anything great, it stopped construction of this atrocity. Perhaps the construction documents for these Giant Glowing Tentacles can be altered – since the only suitable environment for them would be beneath the sea as a fortress for Aquaman.
Jeddah (Kingdom) Tower
Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture
Committee Ranking:
3
Committee Comments:
What do you call a 2,063 ft tall metal structure in the middle of a deserted arid climate?
– The KVLY-TV mast near Blanchard, North Dakota.
What do you call an additional 1,244 ft of unoccupied “floors”?
– The Jeddah Tower.
Burj Al Arab
Tom Wright
Committee Ranking:
3
Committee Comments:
The Burj Al Arab is like a superficial person who’s had too many plastic surgeries – I don’t even know what is real anymore! Built on an artificial island, it is the 3rd “tallest” hotel in the world – BUT 39% of its total height is made up of non-occupiable space. That’s comparable to me saying I am the third tallest person in the America, BUT I’m wearing a 2’ tall top hat.
Trump International Hotel & Tower Dubai (Unbuilt)
Atkins
Committee Ranking:
3
Committee Comments:
Perhaps if Donald Trump becomes President he’ll be too busy trying to get Mexico to build a wall, and forget about this horrendous endeavor.
UN City
3XN
Committee Ranking:
3
Committee Comments:
Apparently this Copenhagen building was built with a large focus on sustainability and environmental friendliness. I guess an overgrown starfish exposed to Fukushima nuclear waste could be considered sustainable.
2015 Prickster Prize Selection Committee
BRADY
ERNST
Profession:
Baby
Architect
Architectural Qualifications:
Although not a licensed architect, yet, he does write a blog with the word architect in the domain name.
CHEF
BRADY
Profession:
Amateur Sandwich
Artisan
Architectural Qualifications:
Owns a Michael Graves Designs apple slicer; even though it takes up a lot of space, it works “OK”.
PHOTOGRAPHER
BRADY
Profession:
Amateur Pet
Photographer
Architectural Qualifications:
Has an unphotogenic cat, thus sometimes takes picture of buildings instead.
BAMBI
DANGER
Profession:
Intermittent Napper
& Angry She Can’t Go Outside
Architectural Qualifications:
None