Carbuncle Cup's worst building of the year: Student flats with windows that face brick walls University College London digs described as unfit 'for human occupation' The Caledonian Road building has won this year's Carbuncle Cup It saw off competition to be named Britain's most ugliest new building The judges noted nearby Pentonville Prison offered better views Students are hardly known for their desire to keep their accommodation spick and span, with mould often left growing in the fridge and bins overflowing with half eaten kebabs and empty cans of cider. So perhaps it is only fitting that this year's ugliest building award has gone to the new University College London digs at 465 Caledonian Road, which judges 'struggled to see as fit for human occupation'. Described as a 'Frankenstein concoction', it saw off stiff competition from runner-up Castle Mill - also built as student accommodation - which has infuriated residents for blotting out postcard views of the dreaming spires of Oxford. Grim: The UCL student accommodation at 465 Caledonian Road refused planning permission, but a planning inspector overruled the decision Room with a view: The windows of the new property are at a different level to the original facade, pictured here, meaning students stare straight at a brick wall Such is public anger with that building, calls have been made for a judicial review into how it came to be approved in the first place. But it was 465 Caledonian Road in the London Borough of Islington that stole Building Design magazine's Carbuncle Cup for the worst new building of 2013. Described as an 'outrageous housing scheme', 465 Caledonian Road offered 'deep grounds for offence in it's cavalier attitude to a historic asset,' according to the jury. Mind the gap: The developer retained the original frontage, but destroyed the rest of the Victorian building to make way for the new building The magazine accused the architect Stephen George & Partners of knowing 'a thing or two about grotesque overdevelopment', adding: The practice's solution in Islington has to rank as the mother of all facadectomies.' Stephen George has declined to comment. 465 Caledonian Road, Islington, London Castle Mill, Port Meadow, Oxford Avant Garde, Bethnal Green, London Redcar Beacon, Redcar Porth Eirias Watersports Centre, Colwyn Bay, Wales Premier Inn, Lambeth, London The new development was built on a site previously occupied by a listed warehouse dating back to 1874. All but the front facade was pulled down to make way for the new building. The bit that was left was stripped of its windows and propped 2m in front of the historic building's replacement. But the retained openings do not align with the new windows leaving students nothing better than a brick wall as a view for the unlucky occupants. According to Building Design: 'Of the 44 student rooms addressing Caledonian Road, more than half have no eye-level outlook.' To compensate for the fact the new building was two storeys higher than the original, the builder removed the top of the old facade and added a new floor, before sticking the original top back on again. Building Design said: 'One might hope that these compromised rooms represent the worst the development has to offer, but many of those facing away from the street promise to be grimmer still.' When Islington council refused planning permission in 2009, it identified 151 of the units as 'suffering from poor outlook', 179 as not receiving 'good daylighting', and 60 as not having 'adequate privacy'. Controversial: Oxford University's Castle Mill student accommodation was pipped to the post by Caledonian Road Some of the rooms overlook each other from windows just 5m apart. Building Design pointed out residents of Pentonville Prison just down the road are treated to a better view. Overturning the council's decision, the Planning Inspectorate wrote: 'There is agreement that the nature of the accommodation warrants some departure from the amenity standards that would be applied to residential accommodation intended for normal domestic occupation. Relevant factors in this are that individual students would occupy the accommodation for less than a year, and that its main function would be for sleeping due to intensive daytime activities taking place at the university campus. Characterless: The Avant Garde building on Bethnal Green Road (left), which critics say fails to blend into the Victorian surroundings. Right, the Redcar Beacon