Riverside Takes Shape

The Riverside Museum, Glasgow's new Museum of Transport, taking shape down where the Kelvin flows out into the Clyde. The current museum is closing in April - I'll be taking one more trip there before it closes. This one opens in about a year's time.

Ambivalent about the building - it's by one of those supposed "international superstar" architects, called Zaha Hadid. As such, it looks far more interesting as a little model you can look down on, than it appears so far in the flesh. The interior is supposed to be impressive. Another attempt at the Bilbao Effect, methinks, after the relative failure of the Science Centre (failure in the sense of the Tower, that is). I can't see the Riverside managing it either- it's just not exciting enough a shape. Having visited the Guggenheim in Bilbao, I can't imagine spending a day just wandering around outside marvelling at this building, as I did in the Basque Country. Actually, the Guggenheim's problem is that it overshadows the contents!

This view is from the other side of the river in sunny Govan - once the museum opens, this view will be blocked in part by the Tall Ship.