Opal Tower, Leeds

[Val Verde]

Opal Tower, Leeds

Height - 78 metres / 256 foot
Floors - 25
Status - Under Construction since December 2006

Originally Posted By Talisker on the Leeds Opal Tower Thread http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showth...392446&page=7:











What an absolute disaster of a building and thats just the renders which usually show it in its best light it even looks bad like a 1960s Tower Block made out of Lego. I cannot imagine how on earth this thing ever gone past planning and when built would surely win the 'Worst New Building in Britain thread' especially as its in such as visually promient location. This is surely a disgrace for Leeds. Comments Please?

[SteChol]

1/10
Prisoner cell block Leeds!

[van heckler]

It's like Masshouse in Birmingham, only taller, uglier and more boxy.

I like the sloping blade apart from the colour and it's fairly tall. Unfortunately, they're the only positive features I can find. I'm not sure what I'm going to give it. I gave Orion 2/10 and this is worse then that.

Masshouse

[mistertee]

It's growing on me. I think it's taller than 78m because the original was the same height as Tower North and they've added a couple of floors.

Apart from BWP, it's no worse than anything else in Leeds and is quite jaunty at the top. 7/10

[oscar9]

A complete monstrosity,not much grace,or elegance,it's not even that tall, and that grey panel cladding is used extensivly on cheap provincial developments,very lego as well.Horrid 2/10

[Erebus555]

I hate it. It makes Orion look like a diamond! I agree with van, the blade bit is nice but the rest if like a highrise prison block - 2/10.

[van heckler]

Originally Posted by mistertee

It's growing on me. I think it's taller than 78m because the original was the same height as Tower North and they've added a couple of floors.

Apart from BWP, it's no worse than anything else in Leeds and is quite jaunty at the top. 7/10

That rating is disturbing, especially after giving Beetham Manchester a 1/10 and the Civil Justice Centre a 2/10.

And to say it's as good as any other highrise in Leeds, apart from Bridgewater Place, is an insult to the city, although upon a closer inspection, you're probably right.

2/10

[Erebus555]

And I thought the patching on Orion was bad...

[paulmat]

Originally Posted by van heckler

It's like Masshouse in Birmingham, only taller, uglier and more boxy.

I like the sloping blade apart from the colour and it's fairly tall. Unfortunately, they're the only positive features I can find. I'm not sure what I'm going to give it. I gave Orion 2/10 and this is worse then that.

Masshouse

I think more like a taller version of this:

(In Middlesbrough)

I don't see how you can think that it's alright mistertee

[mistertee]

Originally Posted by van heckler

That rating is disturbing, especially after giving Beetham Manchester a 1/10 and the Civil Justice Centre a 2/10.

And to say it's as good as any other highrise in Leeds, apart from Bridgewater Place, is an insult to the city, although upon a closer inspection, you're probably right.

2/10

Hang on! I gave Beetham 10! This is what I wrote

I'm not Manchester's biggest fan but ...

10/10 It's MASSIVE! In all respects. It's the first proper skyscraper built outside of London. The best thing is they just seemed to "do it". It was announced one day and the next day it was 100m high, nearly.

It's "boxy", true. It's just a box with a bit missing from the bottom I guess. But it's a massive fuck-off skyscraper, the likes of which can only be found in London and now Manchester.

It would be a pleasure to hurl myself from the roof of this thing (has anybody, yet?). Hopefully Leeds' "Lumiere" will start to soar soon, but it will never be as significant as this, the first.

Manchester (fittingly so) wins the race to be the first English provincial city with a bona-fide 'scraper. This beast deserves it. A monumental building.

I still think this is good compared with what else is in Leeds. Considering its only for students I think it could be a lot worse. K2 is much uglier in my opinion and that's supposed to be luxury apartments. And its the second tallest thing built here in over 30 years.

[mistertee]

It's better than this and this is supposed to be a 4 star hotel.


And this, which is supposed to be luxury apartments.


Considering it's supposed to be cheapo student flats, it could be a lot worse. It was never going to have York Stone cladding. It's an acceptable and cheap solution to a student housing problem.

[van heckler]

Hang on! I gave Beetham 10! This is what I wrote

My apologies mistertee, I could have sworn you were one of three people who had voted it a 1.

[The Oil]

Originally Posted by mistertee

Hang on! I gave Beetham 10! This is what I wrote


I still think this is good compared with what else is in Leeds. Considering its only for students I think it could be a lot worse. K2 is much uglier in my opinion and that's supposed to be luxury apartments. And its the second tallest thing built here in over 30 years.

Have you washed that brown stuff off your nose yet?!?

[Leeds No.1]

I love K2; and whats wrong with Masshouse :S That building in Middlesborough is ok- could be alot better but its ok. The lights on the top are a bit stupid though.

[Accura4Matalan]

This really is crap. It looks like a refurbished council block.

[daveylad2]

Why is this in the main UK forum? Val verde you are washing your/our dirty linen in public by posting this turd of a proposed building as a rate a scraper.
Were you so quick to open a Lumiere or Criterion thread on here?

[di Livio]

It's a student block and should really be judged in the context of other Leeds Uni blocks. That said, it's the worst design for a student block I've ever seen.

(however, judged on the last two renderings, it could be worse)

[Biosonic]

I am sorry to say this is awful. Leeds has some crackers on the way but this isn't one of them. It does look like a badly-conceived council tower refurbishment.

I'll give it a 3 for scale, but that's it.

Sorry

(At least it will take the mantle from our Orion Building as worst new tall

[jimbo]

2/10 - so uninspiring and an embarrassment to Leeds when we're tooting our trumpets about Lumiere and Criterion Place. From previous experience I can't imagine the finished product will look any better. Why the small windows, and gunmetal cladding? Now if it was aluminium like 1 Canada Square or the window framing for No.5 Aldersmanbury in London, then it would be a different matter, but this sheet gray plastic is now seemingly Leeds's misguided retort to its own fixation with terracotta tiling from 2 years back.

how thoroughly depressing - at least its hidden behind Tower North when viewed from the south. We pray that the Plaza Tower (36 storeys and therefore more prominant) partially redeems this.

[Caiman]

This is a dispicable building, I can't believe it got the go ahead. 4/10. With the likes of Lumiere and Criterion in the pipelines, this is shocking. You lot must be gutted. Awful.