Popped into Birmingham a few weeks ago and passed the library there – looks like a wedding cake. Far too beautiful to eat though. I love the subtle colours and the patterns that the layers of metal circles make. The glass behind the framework of the façade reflects the pattern and the sky giving extra depth and richness to the effect from the outside and pulling the pattern inside in the form of shadows on the sleek white floors inside.

It’s a vast building designed by Dutch architects Mecanoo and ten years on it still looks great. The yellow turret at the top houses the second biggest Shakespeare collection in the world. While the rest of the library is modern, airy and full of light and sleek materials looking more like a high-end shopping centre than a library, this section is the complete opposite. The city’s original Victorian Library has been rehoused here – the ornately carved, glass fronted wooden bookcases; marble bust; stained glass roof; and intricately moulded plaster ceiling.

If you’re in Birmingham it’s worth a visit if only from the stunning view from the roof garden on the top level.