‘Really cool, day or night’: readers’ top modern European architecture

From a giant Gulliver in Spain to a sleek basking whale in Budapest, readers tip 10 destinations with stunning contemporary buildings

The Hamsun Centre in Hamarøy, northern Norway (a couple of hours by boat from Bodø), is dedicated to Norway’s most famous novelist, Knut Hamsun (1859-1952), hailed by many as the father of modern Norwegian literature. Designed by the American architect Steven Holl, the striking building, which dominates the landscape for miles, offers references to the man and his work, including “hair” on its head (the roof), a metallic “spine” running through the building and a beckoning hand (a yellow balcony jutting out from the dark facade).
M Peyre