Turner Contemporary - latest version

So the new vision for the design of the Turner Contemporary has been revealed. Still very modern - you'd expect nothing else from David Chipperfield of course - but at least it's not just a series of boxes, like previous designs. A nod to sailing ships perhaps, an echo of the hill and rooftops to its rear, whatever the architectural theory behind it, it looks striking and interesting: you would want to drive closer just to see what it was.

Let's hope the architect is as good at estimating, procurement and cost control as he is at design. If we can just get it built then at least we can start to see the benefits, even if they take a little longer than promised so breathlessly in all the publicity materials. But as a design, it gets the thumbs up from me.



This quote from the press release that accompanied last night's launch at Margate Theatre: "Our building will look out to the sea, connect itself to the town and capture the same unique light that inspired Turner".