Residents react to completion of Battersea block – ‘Is this the ugliest building in London?’

By James Mayer, Local Democracy Reporter

A new tower block has been mocked as looking like “Jenga” and “drawers in a teenager’s bedroom” by angry Londoners.

They took to Facebook to slam the 23-storey block, questioning whether it was “the ugliest new building in London”.

The York Road flats in a building called Coda have been completed by developers Avanton.

While some mocked it, many others said it was “cool” and “oddly beautiful”.

A photo of the building was posted in the Facebook group Londonist Urban Oddities and has since sparked over 300 reactions and more than 400 comments.

Paul Brewer, who posted the photo, said: “Is this the ugliest new building in London?

“I can’t see how anyone could like this. It looks like a chest of drawers in a teenager’s bedroom.

“The whole of this area of Battersea looks like some child’s unfinished Lego project. Almost all terrible architecture, no infrastructure whatsoever, shocking really.”

Kristyn Ankrom said: “It looks like a huge game of Jenga.”

Pamela Preller said: “It’s terrible, should feel right at home on that side of the river, they are all monstrous around Battersea.”

But Richard Barton-Harvey said: “It looks like a stack of shoe boxes in a stock room, stacked in an irregular manor [sic] after the sales associate has had a slightly demanding client… I quite like it.”

Cathal Hughes said: “I quite like the design of it… there are a lot uglier buildings in London.”

John Spencer said: “Not very attractive, however so much better than the flat concrete sides that were built 60 years ago and regretfully still exist.”

Stephen Bell said: “I like it. Breaks up the skyline of 50s/60s dull concrete monoliths in the area. The line flows nicely…”

Spencer Williams called the building “cool” and Clarkey Cat said the building was “oddly beautiful”.

Sales and marketing director David Ronson from Avanton said: “Everyone’s going to have an opinion on things. Architecture is very subjective and we personally love what Patel Taylor designed.

“We do have 300 people living at the development that are extremely happy, and we are extremely proud of our home views rating of 4.67 out of 5.

“We’ve provided affordable housing for the community, a new HQ for the Royal Academy of Dance and homes in a market that is under supplied.”

“Although we would like to meet everyone’s design aspirations, that is fundamentally impossible.”