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 Officially called 20 Fenchurch Street, the 37-storey office tower
in the City of London financial district was nicknamed the Walkie
Talkie due to its curved shape before the car-melting incident in
2013 spawned a new moniker, the Walkie Scorchie.
Organized by Business Design magazine, the Carbuncle Cup is awarded
by a panel of architecture critics who take into account comments
sent in by readers. This year's prize went to the Walkie Scorchie by
a unanimous decision of the judges.
One of them, Ike Ijeh, said City of London planners were as much to
blame for approving what he described as "a gratuitous glass
gargoyle graffitied onto the skyline of London" as the building's
renowned Uruguayan architect, Rafael Vinoly.
"If anything summarizes what makes a building a Carbuncle, this is
it," Ijeh wrote in an article on Business Design's website.
 Judges complained that the top-heavy building, whose upper floors
are bigger than its base thanks to its unusual flared design, was an
eyesore.
Then there was the problem with the south-facing concave facade,
which, while unfinished, concentrated the sun's rays so that it
warped the wing mirror, panels and badge on a Jaguar parked down
below.
Local business owners reported carpet burns and paint damage to
their shops while TV crews filmed an egg being fried in the
reflected sun beams. The facade was later fitted with horizontal
fins to diffuse the sun's rays.
Building Design also reported that there had been complaints about
high winds at the building's base, and that the Sky Garden on top of
the building had been criticized as too bland and failing to match
the original design.
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The building was developed by a joint venture between construction
and property groups Land Securities and Canary Wharf Group.
Emails seeking comment from Vinoly's practice and from Canary Wharf
Group were not immediately answered. A spokeswoman for Land
Securities declined to comment.
Launched in 2006 as a humorous counterpart to the prestigious
Stirling Prize for good architecture, the Carbuncle Cup has been
awarded to a variety of projects across Britain.
Past winners range from a ferry terminal in Liverpool to a media
complex in Salford, near Manchester, to the renovation of the Cutty
Sark ship in London.
(Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky)
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