Fourteen buildings shortlisted for “emotive power and dating potential”

If you have ever canoodled in a pod of the London Eye or felt the slings and arrows of desire on the ramparts of Edinburgh Castle, then the RIBA has the competition for you.

The architect’s institute has launched an online search for the UK’s most romantic building in time for Valentine’s Day.

Traditional favourites such as Blenheim Palace and the Royal Pavilion in Brighton vie with contemporary buildings designed by Grimshaw, Wilkinson Eyre and husband-and-wife team Marks Barfield.

According to the RIBA, the fourteen buildings were selected for their “emotive power and dating potential.” The competition is part of the RIBA’s celebrations of its 175th anniversary.

The shortlist of fourteen buildings is made up of:

Blackpool Tower, Lancashire

Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire

British Museum, London

Chatsworth House, Derbyshire

Eden Project, Cornwall

Edinburgh Castle

London Eye, London

Millennium Bridge, Gateshead, Northumberland

Portmeirion, Gwynedd, Wales

Royal Pavilion, Brighton

The Backs, Cambridge

The Roman Baths, Bath, Somerset

Warwick Castle, Warwickshire

Yorkshire Sculpture Park, West Yorkshire

To vote for your favourite, go to: www.architecture.com/constructionforseduction. Although the poll doesn’t close until April, an “interim winner” will be announced for Valentine’s Day.

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