Sydney Opera House is an absolutely stunning building, which, despite much flak in the local press about having been 'spoilt' by adjacent development, remains an experience with few equals in my (biased and limited) opinion.

I have been known to take my weekend newspaper and sit on a bench below the sweeping sails, just to enjoy the light bouncing off the roof.

I've also been fortunate enough to work on the building, and so have been up on top, down through the bowels, on stage, across the glass walls/roofs on the harbour side ... and I still work for the firm who were the structural engineers for the building, so hopefully more chances.

As an urban space/place, I think it works really well.  Recent publicity has focussed on three new apartment blocks built along the streets leading to the Opera House.  These have blocked the view of the Opera House which was available from Circular Quay (where all the ferries leave from, and the start of the city proper).  My feeling is that this heightens the enjoyment.  The progression from the other side of the Circular Quay, where you can enjoy the classical silhouette of the building, around and along these new buildings, where the view disappears, to suddenly reappear in front of you ... takes the breath away.

Photographic architecture ... it can certainly be misleading.  But if a building or a space has 'it', then I don't think it changes.

Take the new Frank Gehry Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao.  I've not visited it yet.  The photos show it as an exquisite jewel, shimmering in the late afternoon light.  I've seen just one shot which places it in its context, which is adjacent to rail-yards and an industrial looking canal/river.  I'll be interested to see if it remains such an entrancing place/space ... and thus whether Heidi is right or not!

By the way, I've never kissed a kangaroo either, Christopher, and I have no plans to do so.

david