THE thing I liked most about Will Alsop's Cloud was its zaniness and total individuality. It would have been recognisable as an iconic building on the Mersey waterfront.
I have never thought that there would be any point in building anything on the waterfront unless it stood out like the Sydney Opera House or the Louvre in Paris.
Architects 3XN have switched zaniness for Danishness and created a building shape that is, well, unusual.
It will be finished in a white stone or marble so that its finish matches the nearby Port of Liverpool and Cunard Building. That, though, is where the structures part company.
The Museum of Liverpool will be one of the first important world buildings of the 21st Century and will leave its mark for many generations.
The biggest regret is that the exhibition areas will not open before 2009 or even 2010. The aim is to have the exterior completed by Culture year in 2008 with scope for some activities linked to the newcomer to the skyline.
3XN has worked with BRC, an American practice specialising in planning exhibition spaces. The criss-cross shape of the building will make the discovery of Liverpool's history a joy for people of all ages. If the proposals become reality, it will become one of the UK's most stunning and important museums.
