大象传媒

As well as the MIMA art gallery attracting works from a selection of the world's greatest artists in its opening Draw exhibition, such as Damien Hirst, Francis Bacon, Pablo Picasso and Jackson Pollock, the building that houses these works is itself a living piece of art.

The gallery took three years to complete from January 2004 to January 2007, and was designed by Dutch company Erick van Egeraat Associated Architects at a cost of 拢14.2m, making MIMA the most expensive public building in the town.

It measures 16.5 metres in height and its length and depth measure 30 by 20 metres, while the 19,000 square metres civic square surrounding it is the biggest in Europe, costing a further 拢5m.

Inside MIMA's reception area

It mixes traditional stone cladding imported from Turkey, Italian slate stone walls and atrium columns from France with a contemporary glass front to create a building that completely stands out from its neighbouring structures.

The building was also recently awarded an RIBA (Royal Institute of British Architects) award, being described as 'very elegant and enjoyable building which reconciles the urban aspirations of Middlesbrough with the need for a quality carefully crafted gallery'.

But the MIMA building isn't just an art gallery - it also represents a cultural shift forward for the Middlesbrough landscape.

Teesside's industrial heritage is often the most dominating aspect of area's skyline with huge cooling towers and metal structures capturing most people's attention, as well as the older buildings such as the Middlesbrough Town Hall and Central Library, but the presence of MIMA's lighter tones have transformed the way people see the town centre.

MIMA's presence has made Teesside a more attractive prospect for further development, including Middlesbrough hosting the Proms in the Park in the public square outside the building, and there are few structures in the area that have not only transformed the appearance of the town, but also the attitudes towards it.

You can view pictures of MIMA and take an audio tour around the gallery by clicking on the links in the 'see also' section.