This will probably be controversial, but I'm going to suggest that this 'iconic' building is distinctly NOT hot.

Yes, yes, I know... It is a building that challenges us in many ways. It is a project that has transformed Bilbao from a dying post-industrial city into a cultural centre (at least that is what they keep telling us). It is a great collection of contemporary art.

But, it has also done more to cause people to think that a single building can transform a city. 'The Bilbao Effect' is now considered to be the possibility of any major cultural building. When, in reality, the Guggenheim was only one part of a much larger regeneration plan for Bilbao. Despite this, everyone now thinks that a single building is what they need to regenerate their city, region, etc.

So, I'm 'dissing' the Guggenheim Bilbao, not for what it is, but for what it isn't.