Carbuncle Cup: Waltham Forest YMCA building, London

From the nominator: “The building is a new extension to the Waltham Forest YMCA building. It sits as one large grey/black monolith colliding with the original stone clad tower block. Located directly opposite the stunning WF Town Hall, the lack of anything of architectural design/merit is astounding. As the building sits on the busy Forest Road I have watched on (angrily) as this building took shape. I am filled with dread as to what it may look like internally but on a positive note it could not be any worse than its external blandness.

“The new extension lacks any hint of a considered relationship with the immediate context with no single point of reference to its host building. There is no attempt to remain subordinate to the tower but rather the hulk of dark cladding simply runs out from the existing public undercroft entrance stepping up in height the further it sits from the tower – attempting no doubt to do something ‘exciting’ to increase the internal ceiling height. 

“The allocation and positioning (or lack of) fenestration is domestic in scale looking much like rejects from another of the contractors project and simply re-used. There has been little thought out into the juxtaposition of old and new and given the original building has a degree of architectural credibility this has not been even considered in the overall scheme. Given the front elevation has no relief, depth or external relationship with its surroundings it begs the question what the planners saw favourably when they granted consent in 2012.

“As can often be expected with such dismal schemes, within Waltham Forest there are no available documentation, drawings or explanations on the WF Planning database making it impossible to fathom just how this monstrosity was granted consent and what the planners were thinking to justify their decision. It is unclear if this is exactly what was granted conditional consent and just what the conditions may have been.

“As an architect based in E17, the degree of scrutiny and compromise we experience to get a modest, modern rear extension through the planning minefield it really angers both myself and local clients to see this kind of sloppy development that local authorities will, without hesitation, agree to. I am unclear if 3D images of the proposed were produced. If they were, I would love to have been a fly on the wall at the planning meeting making the decision to grant consent.”