The newly refurbished riverside museum was badly flooded, but only one piece was lost -- Zidle, a sculpture mounted on the embankment outside the museum.

UNESCO: Communication et information

The Riverside Museum is an enormous shed of zinc and glass in the shape of a giant stylized S. The roof is bunched in folds, and at each end are glass walls that bring in plenty of light.

NEWYORKER: Lady Zaha

Her buildings look as if they could fly you to the moon, but two recent buildings demonstrate that there is more to her work than a showy exterior: the Riverside Museum, which houses an important collection of historic vehicles, in Glasgow, and the Evelyn Grace Academy in Brixton.

NEWYORKER: Lady Zaha

Chicago has always understood the power of the arts, too, in helping it to carve out a strong identity (its art museum is staggering), and sitting among those iconic riverside buildings is the Lyric Opera of Chicago, a tempting mix of neo-classical exterior and golden art nouveau and art deco interior.

BBC: Musical destinations: Chicago