Tucked away in Lyon’s Part-Dieu district stands the Britannia building. A 1974 creation, the Britannia has become a bit of a local legend. Some might even say infamous. The Britannia building earned the dubious title of “Lyon’s ugliest building” in a poll by 20 Minutes. Locals describe it as a “wart,” a “fiasco,” and a building with “no taste or grace.”
The Britannia was born from a French-British commercial partnership. It looms large behind the Part-Dieu shopping center. Twelve floors of austere gray concrete evoke comparisons to Soviet-era architecture. The promised green spaces? They exist, but as concrete cacti.
This imposing structure boasts 40,000 square meters of office space. It’s the largest office building in the region, a fact noted by Olivier Montillet of the Cybèle association. This group leads unusual tours of Lyon. They also run “Cymoches” tours, showcasing the city’s least attractive buildings. The Britannia is a star attraction. It holds this “honor” despite competition from the infamous Perrache interchange.