Lowry

Cynics might say that the Lowry building is almost a budget Guggenheim Bilbao. It is after all, part of an urban regeneration scheme on the waterfront (Manchester Ship Canal), is claimed to evoke the image of a ship (and?), contains some very questionable art works (in this case Lowry paintings rather than slabs of rusty steel) and, on the budget side, is formed largely of stainless steel rather than the more opulent titanium. Not helped by the Manchester climate (which means rather less sunny photos than Bilbao), nor the inconsiderate death of my anti-hero architect James Stirling which left the final design to Michael Wilford. It all goes to prove that, if you are trying to use an iconic building to raise your desolate industrial wasteland into a new era of cultural perfection, then you need a bloody good architect...and a decent budget!