Hotel is nominated in ‘carbuncle’ competition
Monday 29th September 2008, 2:57PM BST.
THE Radisson Hotel is the front runner for a national award . . . the most hated building in the British Isles.
The building has been put forward for the Carbuncle Cup 2008, which rewards monstrosity, on the architecture website Building Design. The website, which asks for nominations of ‘wasted potential, hideous eyesore or simple plain ridiculousness’, leads with a description and picture of the hotel.
Journalist Victoria Watts writes: ‘Alan Holmes of the Jersey Channel Islands nominates the promised “cutting edge world class architecture” of the new Radisson Hotel on the Jersey Waterfront as “a cross between a blockhouse and a wheat silo” and “the most ugly blob imaginable”. ‘He feared his camera might not take the stain, but we’ve been (un)lucky enough to find one. So far, the Jersey Channel Islands’ Radisson hotel, put forward by Alan Holmes, has inspired the most voices of disapproval.’
One magazine reader says: ‘I can’t think that anything more hideous than the Radisson Hotel will emerge – give it the cup now! Still, anyone who has seen what the same hotel group did to the listed Free Trade Hall in Manchester shouldn’t be surprised.’
Read the full story in the Jersey Evening Post. Click here for subscription details. Individual editions are also available online.
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It does at least hide KFC and the cinema, so it’s not all bad!
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At last something good may come of this disastrous example of ineptitude, by the local Planning Office. Many people originally suggested a building that would be recognised as typically JERSEY, should be constructed on the site. It seems the Radisson will be remembered for the wrong reason !
There are many buildings in the World that are instantly recognisable and in which country they belong. Now Jersey will be remembered for a carbuncle.
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Well done planning! Another fine decision here…
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its got my vote
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Please believe me, your Radisson Hotel is a pleasure to behold compared to The Gherkin in the City of London!!
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Bravo ‘A Jay’, got it in one!
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Well stanley!
heres another nice mess you got me into.
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Never in a million years sorry but the Radison outstrips the Gherkin in every way ! It gets my vote for sure YUK YUK YUK who in their right mind thought of putting that there ?
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It will draw the eye from the new incinerator.
Looking at a wart will be preferable to staring at a fresh boil!
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Hows that for promoting the island Mr Walker!? They do say a picture can say a thousand words :O)
Yet another fantastic example of how NOT to get our island noticed in a positive light !
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The buidling design is nothing to do with Radisson SAS. They are only the managing agents. The owner is from Jersey! It is his fault as he chose the architects not Radisson. Stop blaming the hotel group just because they don’t come from the Island.
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THE Radisson Hotel is the front runner for a national award . . . the most hated building in the British Isles.
What a wonderful site as I pass the weighbridge on my way to the west.
I think that the Island of Jersey gets more attractive year by year, well done
States of Jersey.
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Typical Jersey hypocracy, some people are not allowed to build a small wall around their garden or change their windows. Look at that Hotel, looks like brown envelopes stuffed full of cash to me.
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I am from Manchester, and the Radisson Hotel in the old Free Trade Hall is stunning. The facade of the listed building hasn’t been touched. There is no comparison with the purpose built one on the Waterfront.
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Having been away from the island for a couple of years, the hotel was being started on. I was disappointed by how it looks when you compare it to the SAS Radisson at Manchester Airport.
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The Gherkin is an iconic piece of architecture, designed by one of our finest architects, it provokes both approval and dislike, it is certainly better than the soulless buildings that surrond it.
However the Radisson is a concrete whart that has no redeming features. This building only envokes one kind of debate…is it bad or horrible.
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The radisson looks like a prison , in fact perhaps we could use it as an overflow for
La Moye just add some fencing, wire and search lights and it would be perfect!
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I don’t think anyone is criticising the Radisson Hotel because we thought it was the fault of someone from outside Jersey. It deserves the Carbuncle award because it is such a dreadful design built in such a prominent position.It wouldn’t have looked so bad had it had been built in Guernsey.
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i can’t wait for the land fill toxins to ferment and make their final journey to the surface.
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It will be interesting to see how the CofM Spin Doctors handle this one!
Perhaps. Actually puts Jersey in a good light by creating an interesting dialog on contemporary architectural design .
or
Reflects the dynamic of the waterfront with a complex counterpoint of stylistic inspiration of which future generations of financial and finance immigrants will be truly proud.
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Every time we approach St. Helier from the West My forgetful 78 year old mother comments “Why have they built the prison at the Harbour?”
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A fine example of how to mess up a unique opportunity to build a fabulous hotel in one of the most enviable positions on the Island. What do we get? a sterile interior and an ugly exterior. If only they had taken a leaf out of local hotels like the royal yacht and the grand.
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It seems people have very short memories. I remember the petition asking the States to reject building a state of the art iconic hotel. Loads of people signed it and as a result the States rejected it. Lets face it we have exactly what the public asked for, a small bland building. I have been told that its nice on the inside and certainly seems a popular hotel bringing in much need tourism which lets face it, we should be giving far more support.
As for the comment “Use it as a Prison” – Get real.
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Use it for an Animal Shelter.
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re government spin, I am sure it will be touted as an ‘Award Winning’ building.
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Terry, I am sure the prison comment was not meant to be serious. Have a lie down for a while.
As forgetting exactly what we asked for ‘a small bland building’, I don’t recall that description being on any options document.
Given the fact that our tourism industry, in free fall due to bad government management over the years, has meant that numerous hotels and guest houses are now converted into apartments, I for one always wondered what the need for a spanking new hotel was. Tourists are hardly coming here in droves are they?
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While the rest of the civilised world has been conducting the so-called ‘War on Terrorism’ do you think it’s just possible that someone in the States misheard and declared War on Tourism? It’s the only way that the Radisson makes sense.
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Congratulations to both the Radisson & EPR architects for winning the coveted award for 2008′s most awful blight & blot on the landscape…otherwise known as The Carbuncle Cup. I look forward to admiring it should I ever scrape up enough money to even buy a coffee there.
Truly this is a building we in Jersey can be proud of as it symbolises what our states represents. Unthinking and ugly policies that only cater to a limited section of the population, this hotel serves no purpose to the community but is there for the wealthy but morally bankrupt that use the island to further their own greed and that of their clients.
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A worthy winner. bulldoze it along with all the other crap buildings on the waterfront
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