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"Misplaced functionalism," snapped the architecture critic of the Guardian. The Daily Mail called the building "un-human." The Hayward Gallery is, however, intensely human—and therein lies its strength. It is not a classical structure but a romantic one, proclaiming its irregularities like an English eccentric. Architectural Review's Charles Jencks, for one, found himself "stirred to leap the moats, jump the cross bridge, and burst through those 15 in. of solid concrete to find out what needs so much protection and sanctity in the middle of the 20th century." What could be a more suitable answer than a gallery devoted to contemporary art, which so often inspires its viewers either to rage or defensive laughter?