The Threshold Yukka awards

The Threshold Yukka awards celebrate those buildings that have found the very best and most effective ways of being unwelcoming and hostile. Why 'Yukka'? Because the careful placing of the ubiquitous yukka plant signifies just about all that is wrong in the way we usually seek to embellish the public spaces we inhabit.

Yukka Award #1 - The National Library of Scotland
The very first of these coveted awards goes to the National Library of Scotland. This fine Edinburgh establishment has some large doors - immediately beyond these large doors are a set of revolting greenish steps - at the top of these steps there was not one but two security guards, looking down upon us as we entered. And after finishing their private conference, what were their words in greeting? "you can't do that in here", which we liked a lot. And then, walking up the steps, we were faced also with a large CCTV monitor, just in case we weren't already sure that this was a high security military establishment in which our every movement was scrutinised. Had we gone any further, which we didn't, we would then have had to negotiate those revolving steel bar contraptions you only ever seem to see in public toilets at train stations. You'd never want to borrow a book from this place. And not even an attempt at a yukka plant in sight.

Fantastic! We celebrate you.

National Library of Scotland brightens up its entryway by giving its Threshold Yukka Award pride of place.