All the photographers out there will definitely understand me if I say that in such a beautiful landscape bad architecture screws up the opportunity for good shots.
How many times I saw the Cervino in a beautiful light, but there was a crane just in front of it, or a horrible modern building in the frame… and so I gave up on the photo.
It makes me mad to see all this, especially when I saw how the buildings on the Swiss side of the mountain looks like: here is a photo of beautiful Zermatt by night.
So one day the idea finally clicked: I won’t hide those buildings from my photos. I will rather document their ugliness! I must say there are some nice houses in the town – you know, the typical wooden buildings and chalets – but since a few years the village started being expanded on the hills around, and the result is rather depressing. The landscape is ruined. It’s incredible how the perfect location for luxury ski holidays can be disfigured like this!
The other day I went out with the exact goal of shooting what I think it’s ugly in Breuil-Cervinia, and I found a lot to be photographed!
Here is a gallery of architectural ugliness.
I thought it would be fun to “elect” the ugliest building so go ahead and leave a comment with the number of the image you think represents the worst insult to nature!
So here we go.
1 – The ugly concrete terraces
This is the first thing I see when I go out in the morning. I wonder why, oh why they built this building with pointy balconies, without even caring about giving it some nice color. Pure stained concrete with triangular terraces. Oh well.
2 – The silver President
I have nothing against modern buildings per se, but come on, there’s a limit to everything. This is probably the newest building in town and it’s not white as it looks in the photo above. It’s SILVER. And it’s just in the middle of everything. Literally the first thing you see when you arrive in town. It was built by some famous architect, but I don’t really feel like making any research… Give me some old style wooden chalets, please.
3 – The ugly hotel
What a nice panorama over the mountains! Not. I really don’t get this one. Did you notice the classy dividers on the balconies? And the fact that it looks like a building under construction? Well, it’s not. And it hurts.
4 – The PILE of buildings
…but no worries! You can always look up and see the mountains! Well not exactly. They are building and building and building. Ugly buildings, that is. Will they end up covering every single free spot of the mountain? Well this is what I see on my way to work. A pile of buildings, not sure which one is the ugliest!
5 – The cheese slices
No kidding, “cheese slices” is their nickname in town. No wonder why! I must say they look almost nice in the photo, but don’t trust my exceptional photography skills this time…
6 – The unidentified object
I have no idea what this is. You can just call it “unidentified frightful object”, I think it’s fine.
7 – The photobomber building
So you want to take a photo of the surrounding beautiful mountains but here is the photobomber building! Pretty much in the middle of the frame all the time.
8 – The spirals
What a nice idea! Spiral-shaped buildings! In the middle of the slopes! So cute.
9 – The photobomber building, B side
I told you it’s a photobomber! I kind of wanted to take a photo of the valley but… he he he, it’s such a prankster.
10 – The shameless cable car building
Now this is the old cable car station. The new one is just on the side of it. I don’t know why they didn’t demolish it, since it’s not used anymore. Probably it’s too beautiful to be destroyed? No, seriously, every time I see it I feel ashamed…
11 – Cielo Alto (High Sky)
This one is trying to hide in the trees but hey, I saw you! The building above is called “Cielo Alto”, literally “High Sky”, probably because it’s high on the slope. Well, it’d better stay there… away from my sight at least! Please!
12 – The bunker
Last but not least, the bunker. I call it this way because all I can think of when I look at it is some sort of nuclear shelter, a barrack, something militar… definitely not a house in the Alps anyway. What does it make you think of instead?
I think that’s all! And enough too. I am all ears to hear your thoughts about the ugly architecture shown above. Which one is the ugliest? Shoot me a comment with your thoughts or just simply the number of the photo you think represents the ugliest thing in town… and let’s elect “Mister Ugly Building”. Your turn!
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22 Comments
I think it is a hard choice between 1, 2 and 8. But if I have to choose only one I’d go with the Spirals. Why? Why build them this way? what was the inspiration of the architect? :D
I don’t know! I think altitude plays tricks on the architects’ brains… :)
The cheese slices are actually pretty fascinating! :D I think “10 – The shameless cable car building” this is the worst among the list. These buildings are not going well with the environments but at least they are creative! :D
The cheese slices look much better in photo! They are lucky :)
Oh wow some of those are awful but like Juno I think the cheese slices are cute and the spirals aren’t nearly as bad as the cable car building.
Cable car building has to be demolished! It’s hideous…
I guess what they have are great architects that only know how to make a totally beautiful building, but without any knowledge on how to make it blend with the landscape.
Yeah I mean some of these buildings would fit in a city but definitely not at an altitude of 2000 meters in the Italian Alps. It’s a pity!
*vomits over laptop* Haha! They’re all pretty terrible, really :)
Sorry for your laptop! Hehe :) Right, they are all ugly… it’s so sad!
Oh dear god these are awful and I live in South Korea, the land of grey concrete. Even the new apartment buildings are all…grey concrete. But these are truly, truly hideous. My vote has to go to the under-construction-but-looks-like-it-isn’t hotel. I mean those balcony dividerS?!!?
That building is winning! I am getting the worst comments about it. And I chuckle :D
Ooh, some of those are worse than others.
I totally know what you mean about ugly thing ruining pictures though. There was a huge construction scaffolding at one of the Mayan sites I visited in Oaxaca. Totally ruined the atmosphere!
There was a huge construction scaffolding at one of the Mayan sites I visited in Oaxaca. Thanks for sharing.
I actually quite like the spirals, and don’t mind the cheese slices. There is a place for modern architecture in ski resorts – they should not be heritage parks. But I agree that most of these buildings are horrific. The worst I think is the silver President, partly because of its location and partly because it’s the newest, so there’s no excuse.
I’m voting for the bunker! It looks weird for me
Come on.. They’re not that ugly. Just weirdly constructed in my pov
They wouldn’t be ugly in a city, but in the Alps they just look weird and ugly :D
Honestly, I won’t think that we could judge these building or the architects behind them. We don’t know the concept behind the designs, and actually, as an architect, I think that some buildings on this list are some kind of valuable architectural movements. Of course the mistakes just like the one called ‘UFO’ look really weird, but I guess that stuff like that haven’t been designed by professional architects. By the way I still think it’s funny:)
I think by far cheese slices are the worst, even in the 60s you would realise that is a horrible design, as for the UFB (Unidentified Building) it could be a toilet!
Ugly is definitely a strong word. Unusual maybe? But I agree they are the far side of a Bell Curve.
Keep this going please, great job!
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