terracotta façades presented an overall effect that was "neither beautiful enough, nor surreal enough, to be truly remarkable", presenting an effect that was "striking but not resonant. Nothing about these façades lingers in the mind. They are, oddly, bereft of joie de vivre." In Architecture Today, Neven Sidor commended the development's design for "reach[ing] out to its context at the same time as boldly asserting its own personality." He commented that "somehow colour therapy and fine terracotta modelling make the effect uplifting" and described the vistas from the central plaza as "a joy", praising the skill that had gone into the design. Piano's standing as an "international star" had, in Sidor's view, given the architect the clout to insist on the development's more unorthodox features and had been essential for such an ambitious complex to receive planning permission in the first place. Ellis Woodman of Building Design, criticised the "lurid" appearance. He complained that "the site has been overdeveloped, to my mind, grotesquely so" and that its visual impact was "as shocking as that of any building realised in central London in 40 years". He was particularly critical of the way that the colourful upper-floor façades clashed with the use of lines of exposed columns at the ground level and called the site "a grim compromise between two fundamentally opposed ideas of how the capital might develop". On a more positive note, he praised the high quality of the office space and the spectacular views from the top floors and roof terrace. Awards Central Saint Giles was nominated in November 2010 for the London Planning Awards under the Best New Place to Live category. References External links Central St. Giles Court / Renzo Piano & Fletcher Priest Architects (ArchDaily) – description and images, including architectural drawings Central Saint Giles WC2 – artists' impressions from Stanhope Buildings and structures in the London Borough of Camden Google real estate Office buildings in London Privately owned public spaces Renzo Piano buildings Residential buildings completed in 2010 Residential buildings in London St Giles, London Buildings and structures completed in 2010