The Carbuncle Awards are

architecture Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and constructing building ...

prizes, presented by the Scottish magazine ''

Urban Realm ''Urban Realm'' is a planning magazine published in Scotland, with a focus on Scottish architecture, Scottish issues. The magazine was established as ''Prospect'' in 1922 by the Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland, and is the oldest ar ...

'' (formerly ''Prospect'') to buildings and areas in Scotland intermittently since 2000. They were established following a discussion about why policy initiatives to improve the quality of the built environment seemed to be having so little impact beyond the centres of Scotland’s key cities. The name of the awards is derived from a comment by

Prince Charles Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person to ...

, an outspoken critic of modern architecture, who in 1984 described Ahrends Burton Koralek's proposed extension of London's

National Gallery The National Gallery is an art museum in Trafalgar Square in the City of Westminster, in Central London, England. Founded in 1824, it houses a collection of over 2,300 paintings dating from the mid-13th century to 1900. The current Director o ...

as a "monstrous

carbuncle A carbuncle is a cluster of boils caused by bacterial infection, most commonly with ''Staphylococcus aureus'' or ''Streptococcus pyogenes''. The presence of a carbuncle is a sign that the immune system is active and fighting the infection. The ...

on the face of a much-loved and elegant friend". There are three award categories: *Plook on the Plinth Award "for the most dismal town in Scotland". A "plook" is a Scottish noun for

pimple A pimple is a kind of comedo that results from excess sebum and dead skin cells getting trapped in the pores of the skin. In its aggravated state, it may evolve into a pustule or papules. Pimples can be treated by acne medications, antibiotics, ...

. *The Pock Mark Award "for the worst planning decision". *The Zit Building Award "for the worst building completed since the last awards". Public nominations are made via the magazine's website, with a small group of critics selecting the final winners.

Cumbernauld Cumbernauld (; gd, Comar nan Allt, meeting of the streams) is a large town in the historic county of Dunbartonshire and council area of North Lanarkshire, Scotland. It is the tenth most-populous locality in Scotland and the most populated t ...

North Lanarkshire North Lanarkshire ( sco, North Lanrikshire; gd, Siorrachd Lannraig a Tuath) is one of 32 council areas of Scotland. It borders the northeast of the City of Glasgow and contains many of Glasgow's suburbs and commuter towns and villages. It also ...

has won the Plook on the Plinth Award twice and is the town most frequently nominated for the award. The Carbuncle Awards inspired the

Carbuncle Cup The Carbuncle Cup was an architecture prize, given annually by the magazine ''Building Design'' to "the ugliest building in the United Kingdom completed in the last 12 months". It was intended to be a humorous response to the prestigious Stirling ...

, another

prize launched in 2006 and given annually by ''

Building Design Building design refers to the broadly based architectural, engineering and technical applications to the design of buildings. All building projects require the services of a building designer, typically a licensed architect. Smaller, less complica ...

'' magazine to "the ugliest building in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

completed in the last 12 months." The latter has gone on to achieve somewhat greater prominence in the media.

Winners

Plook on the Plinth Award Notes: *The shortlist section includes the towns that were in consideration for the award by ''Urban Realm''. *The 2010 award was passed to runners-up Denny, after original winners John o' Groats refused it. *The 2005 judging panel included the artist

Richard Demarco Richard Demarco CBE (born 9 July 1930 in Edinburgh) is a Scottish artist and promoter of the visual and performing arts. Early life He was born at 9 Grosvenor Street in Edinburgh on 9 July 1930 the son of Carmino Demarco and his wife Elizabet ...

and the

Sunday Herald The ''Sunday Herald'' was a Scottish Sunday newspaper, published between 7 February 1999 and 2 September 2018. Originally a broadsheet, it was published in compact format from 20 November 2005. The paper was known for having combined a centre- ...

's associate editor Alan Taylor. *The 2011 judging panel included architecture critic Mark Chalmers and ''Urban Realm'' editor John Glenday Cumbernauld Town Centre - geograph

The Zit Building Award

References

{{reflist, 2 Architecture awards Ironic and humorous awards Architecture in the United Kingdom

Winners

See also

References