Nottingham Contemporary: free art in a lace-patterned landmark

Walk down to Weekday Cross on the edge of the Lace Market and you will find one of the most admired modern buildings in Britain. Nottingham Contemporary opened on 14 November 2009 with an exhibition of David Hockney and Frances Stark, and it has been a free and welcoming home for art ever since.

The building was designed by Caruso St John Architects, who won an invited competition run by Nottingham City Council. Much of it is set into the sandstone cliff, linking the city's upper and lower levels, and its galleries have large rooflights and windows facing the street.

The real showstopper is the outside. Green precast concrete panels are embossed with a cherry blossom lace pattern, a nod to the Lace Market's industrial past. The team researched lace held in the Nottingham Trent University Lace Archive and worked with the University of Derby, Nottingham Textile Museum and Trent Concrete to make it. The building won a RIBA Award and was selected for the EU Mies van der Rohe Award, and the critic Owen Hatherley called it "the first masterpiece of British architecture of the twenty-first century".

Inside, there are four galleries, an auditorium, an education space, a study centre and a shop, and the centre stages several major exhibitions each year.

This autumn there are two new shows to see. Sarah Cunningham: Midnight Sun and Julia Isídrez: Mud is everything both opened on 9 October and run until 10 January. The centre also hosts talks and events, including curators' walkthroughs, and the annual Print Fair Contemporary.

Entry is free, with visitors invited to book and make a donation if they wish. Nottingham Contemporary is a registered artistic and educational charity, and runs learning sessions, group visits and family programmes.

It makes a perfect starting point for exploring the Lace Market, and the City of Caves entrance is right next door at the bottom of the Garner's Hill Steps.

Exhibitions, events and free entry booking are on the Nottingham Contemporary website.