I see Southampton shines again in an outstandingly shite building

I can’t link it for some reason, right click won’t work and I can’t put it on to page, probably this pc anyway the carbuncle awards on the bbc, the build is the Southampton City gateway which alone deserves an award for such a wank name.

Originally posted by @Barry-Sanchez

I can’t link it for some reason, right click won’t work and I can’t put it on to page, probably this pc anyway the carbunkle awards on the bbc, the build is the Southampton City gateway which alone deserves an award for such a wank name.

I bet the people who designed and built that building can post links.

Probably but I bet they can’t name the capital of Peru.

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Jesus wept, no wonder they call it the fag butt, yes another unispired boring piece of codshite, Ikea and now this, what are we going for, the shittest ugliest most boriest City/Town since Swindon came on the radar?

I like it.

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I don’t agree with you too often Bazza but it is indeed hideous. Dull and poorly proportioned. Old news though. Was completed nearly a year ago. ‘Nearly’ being an important word here as completion failed to meet the deadline so it has been empty since completion. Don’t worry though, I’m sure that this September’s student intake will trash the carbuncle in no time.

The one that gets me is that Ikea building, its on the M62 here in Warrington next to other wank buildings, we as the City of Southampton proudly show of said wank building in the City centre, that sorts of says an awful lot about the lack of ambition and general shiteness of the gaff.

Well this has been mentioned on the pictures of Southampton Past and Present thread. The council seem to agree to whip down some lovely old building and replace with shocking designs!

I’ve seen much worse. It is quite modern!

Originally posted by @Sfcsim

Looks even worse than this viewed flat, as you drive in.

And that’s the view that most people have of that building. You can see it from a long way away. It is the perfect location to put a stunning, eye-catching, memorable building and they throw up a fucking pair of boxes with a chimney. Just imagine if they’d made it more like the prow of a ship, and much bigger.

I recall reading an old Echo article, during a discussion about this building on SWF, which detailed how the original plans for this building had to be downscaled because of the financial downturn. The original plan had been for it to be much grander and ascetically pleasing. Of course, these things are subjective; personally, I don’t think it’s too bad, although I haven’t, as yet, seen it with the naked eye.

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I honestly don’t mind it, and I grew up in that area. There are far worse tower blocks in Southampton. We suffered the Soviet-like architecture of the Townhill Park for decades, FFS. Having seen entire streets disappear (Salisbury Road, anyone?) to make way for bland, glass buildings to advance the University - at least this thing stands out, and I reckon it looks good when the sun is out

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The sun is only out for 3 days a year and only makes this building look better because it dazzles you. I prefer the Townhill towers. Shove a Subway and a Morrisons Local under them and Bob’s your uncle.

I had no idea where this was. Now this is the gateway into Swaythling isn’t it, right behind the parade of shops, where Hatchers newsagents used to be? I still for the life of me cannot thing of a plot of land. They did not knock down the other parade of shops where they used to have a penny sweet shop and a barbers where the bloke used to smoke a cig while cutting your hair? Perhaps that is where they got the idea for the design from?

A tear has come to my eye. The place where I grew up Laburnum Road in the Flower Estate, has a fucking gateway. So proud.

I like it now! :heart_eyes:

As a welcome to the City? Its boring predictable and thoroughly depressing, its easy and slack, its ugly and lazy and shows no warmth.

My mother in law…

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As opposed to what? What was there before? Our other stunning entries to the city? The industrial flyover at the end of the M62 where you enter Liverpool for the first time? Or maybe the flyover you see when you come out of the tunnels.

What’s your gold standard for being welcomed to a city?

I think the colours used haven’t help and it does look like a cigarette butt. But it’s not the worst buidling in the world. What about Wyndham Court when you come into Southampton station or look opposite towards Toys r Us and that area? If you come in via Totten area you get the lovely Redbridge tower. Lets face it none of it is great.

But what would you think is a great building to welcome us into Southampton? Something Shard like (visited recently but feel it takes over London skyline a little too much).

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