The flagship ?10.5m ferry terminal at Liverpool's Pier Head has won the "Carbuncle Cup" which is awarded to Britain's worst new building.
div>
Three judges for the Building Design (BD) magazine said the Merseytravel building was "a shining example of bad architecture and bad planning".
A spokesman for Merseytravel defended the building saying it had "tremendous community support".
"This is only the view of two journalists and an architect," he said.
The building incorporates ferry operations, a Beatles museum and a rooftop restaurant. It was designed by Belfast-based Hamilton architects.
Three Graces
The terminal is cantilevered on two sides and clad in limestone to complement the new Liverpool Museum next door.
The judges added: "It is such an amazing site, directly in front of the Three Graces, but the architects seem barely to have noticed.
"It is like letting a bad second-year student build next to St Peter's.
"The architect evidently once looked at a Zaha building in a magazine. It is essentially a horrible sectional idea that has been extruded like a stick of rock."
Judges were split between the Liverpool waterside building and a structure in Nottingham - both they said were appalling - but in the end they decided that "given the damage inflicted by the ferry terminal on what is a UNESCO world heritage site" it was the more worthy recipient.
Another of Liverpool's buildings - Cesar Pelli's One Park West - was shortlisted for the Cup.
The final three buildings that were nominated were: Make's Amenity building for Nottingham University, Hamilton Architects' Ferry Terminal in Liverpool and Queen Margaret University campus, Aberdeen, by Dyer Associates.
BBC Liverpool
Bookmarks