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Posted November 26, 2018
The 31 Ugliest Skyscrapers in the World
From Tour Montparnasse in Paris to Pyongyang's Ryugyong Hotel, AD surveys the architecture that might've best remained a concept
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Designing anything, let alone a massive building, is not a simple task. It requires pragmatic decision-making coupled with bold creativity. As with any form of art, the designer ultimately strives to make something striking and original. Sometimes this effort pays off in the form of a lasting structure—a work that transcends time and place. While other times, well, not so much. Of course, it's not always the architect's fault. In some instances, like Tour Montparnasse in Paris, the designers are a bit unlucky. Had they erected their work in any other location other than the City of Light, maybe it wouldn’t stick out like a sore thumb. But, alas, architecture, like all creative endeavors, is a cruel venture. As such, AD rounds up the 31 ugliest skyscrapers from around the world, ones that began with high intentions but eventually didn't quite meet the mark.
Photo: Getty Images/Pawel Toczynski
Located in Panama City, Panama and reaching a height of nearly 800 feet, the F&F Tower was completed in 2011. Designed by the Panama City-based firm Pinzón Lozano & Asociados, the spiraling structure (which is made of glass and reinforced concrete) is a bold attempt at modern architecture, but one that missed the mark.
Photo: Getty Images/Allan Baxter
Hypo-Haus, which is HypoVereinsbank's headquarters in Munich, may be the home of Germany's fifth-largest financial institution, but the banking firm missed the mark in designing the structure that houses thousands of its employees.
Photo: Getty Images/Shomos Uddin
London's Lloyd's Building may be iconic, but the design leaves a lot to be desired. Completed in 1986, it was designed by Richard Rogers and Partners.
Photo: Getty Images/Dominic Lipinski
Winner of the 2017 Carbuncle Cup—an award handed down by Building Design magazine to the UK's ugliest new building—London's Nova Victoria attempted to evoke the angular shapes produced by such starchitects as Frank Gehry and Daniel Libeskind but failed in doing so.
Photo: Getty Images/James Leynse
Standing 808 feet tall, New York's MetLife building can be seen from several locations throughout the city. But that doesn't mean it's appealing to look at. Situated above Grand Central Terminal, the building was completed in 1963 and designed by Emery Roth & Sons, Pietro Belluschi, and Walter Gropius.
Photo: Getty Images/Danita Delimont
Opened in 1990, the Oregon Convention Center is located on the east side of Portland's Willamette River. Designed by the American firm ZGF Architects, the space takes up 1 million square feet, making it the largest convention center in the state (but certainly not the best-looking one).
Photo: Getty Images/luoman
We applaud the fact that Elevador Lacerda, Brazil's first elevator, dates from 1869, and was rebuilt in 1930 in its current incarnation. That doesn't mean we think the design is exceptional. In fact, it's in need of another makeover.
Photo: Getty Images/Oleksiy Maksymenko
While Robarts Library at the University of Toronto allows students to further their education, the exterior of the building isn't much to write home about. The structure, which was completed in 1973, was designed by Mathers & Haldenby Architects.
Photo: Getty Images/Jean-Pierre Lescourret
Completed in 2006, Munich's BMW Headquarters was designed to look like a four-cylinder automobile engine. And while that was a novel idea, the end product appears more childish than anything.
Photo: Getty Images/DaLiu
When the Žižkov Television Tower was completed in 1992, Prague's skyline forever changed. The project, designed by Václav Aulický, took seven years of construction, stretching some 708 feet in the air.
Photo: Getty Images/Gavin Hellier
No matter that North Korea's Ryugyong Hotel is, after three decades, still under construction, we can already tell this skyscraper won't be the most beautiful on the planet. Designed by Baikdoosan Architects & Engineers, the 1,083-foot-tall structure has continuously remained vacant.
Photo: Getty Images/Iain Masterton
Located in Abu Dhabi, UAE, and designed by the Lebanese-based firm MZ Architects, the Aldar headquarters building was opened in 2010.
Photo: Getty Images/Bloomberg
New York City's Verizon Building, which was designed by Rose, Beaton & Rose and completed in 1975, is not only aesthetically displeasing but it's located in downtown Manhattan, near the Brooklyn Bridge and East River. Which is to say, it's wasting a great opportunity in a prime New York real estate space.
Photo: Getty Images/RF
Although the National Library of Belarus was founded in 1922, the current structure, which houses all its books, wasn't completed until 2006. The building was designed by architects Mihail Vinogradov and Viktor Kramarenko.
Photo: Getty Images/fightbegin
The Slovak Radio Building in Bratislava was completed in 1983, after 16 years of construction. The structure, which looks like an inverted pyramid, was designed by Štefan Svetko, Štefan Ďurkovič, and Barnabáš Kissling.
Photo: Getty Images/John S. Lander
Located in Bangkok, the Elephant Building was completed in 1997 by architect Sumet Jumsai. While playful in design, the structure does little to push the integrity of Thai architecture.
Photo: Getty Images/Noah Seelam
Completed in 2012, the National Fisheries Development Board Building is located in Hyderabad, India, in the southcentral part of the country.
Photo: Getty Images/hellron
Perhaps one of the reasons Milan is considered by many to be Italy's "Ugly City" is the Torre Velasca building. Designed by the Milan-based firm Studio BBPR, the structure was completed in 1958.
Photo: Getty Images/sborisov
It certainly doesn't help Tour Montparnasse's cause that it was built in one of the most architecturally significant cities in the world. But the structure, which was completed in 1969, is currently the third-tallest building in Paris, and possibly the ugliest.
Photo: Getty Images/Yongyuan Dai
The 1,535-foot-tall Oriental Pearl Tower is the second-tallest skyscraper in Shanghai. Designed by architects Jia Huan Cheng, Zhang Xiulin, and Lin Benlin, the structure was completed in 1994.
Photo: Getty Images/sharadraval
Not everything beautiful needs to flash like gold. The Trump Tower in Las Vegas is a perfect example of that. Completed in 2008, the 620-foot-tall structure is an eyesore even in a city filled with over-the-top architecture.
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