A new residential building in Lewisham, The Filigree, has been voted the UK's worst new building, sharing the dubious honour of the Carbuncle Cup with a warehouse development in Greater Manchester.
What is the Carbuncle Cup?
The award, run by The Fence Magazine, aims to identify Britain's most offensive construction of the past two years. Buildings were nominated by the public and judged by a panel of six experts. According to the magazine, ugliness alone was not enough; the buildings needed to offend something deeper in their design and execution.
The Filigree: A Controversial Development
The Filigree is a cluster of five high-rise residential buildings with a geometric, zigzag façade. The Pinnacle Tower, at 29 storeys, is the tallest and most photographed, featuring a concrete spine with glass windows and yellow balconies. It contains 649 rental apartments, marketed as quality apartments neighbouring nature and a vibrant new London neighbourhood.
However, the building faced significant issues shortly after opening in summer 2024. In February 2025, the development's energy centre flooded, cutting water and power and forcing over 400 residents to evacuate. In November 2025, the Filigree announced that key equipment needed replacement, which would take time. Delays have also affected promised shops and public spaces. Get Living, the owner and manager, told Lewisham council that the site is expected to reopen by October.
Councillor James-J Walsh stated that the council granted planning permission on the understanding that the development would be completed and functioning as a neighbourhood by now, but progress has been too fragmented and slow.
Joint Winner: Astley Warehouses
The Filigree was crowned joint winner alongside the Astley Warehouses in Greater Manchester. The four grey warehouses, covering about 350,000 sq ft, have been criticised for disrupting local residents and lacking adequate public consultation. Over 90 objections were raised during planning, and a community opposition group, Astley Warehouses Action, has formed with 11,000 members.
Architecture writer and jury chair Cath Slessor noted that while appearance is a criterion, the winners also represent something more disturbing in how they were procured, sited, scaled, built, and operated. She attributed the issues to simple greed: building big and cheaply, value engineering, and disregarding neighbours and users.
The Filigree's landlord and developer, as well as the developer of the Astley Warehouses, have been contacted for comment.
