 The so-called 'Gherkin' has become an iconic office building in London |
Recent calls for Wales to have its own landmark like the Angel of the North received very different responses from two leading experts at a debate on architecture at the Hay Festival. Should Wales have a giant sculpture of a miner to greet visitors arriving over the second Severn crossing?
Or how about remodelling mounds of earth in north Wales on a Druidic theme?
These have been two of the suggestions after calls for a Welsh icon.
Deyan Sudjic, architecture correspondent of The Observer newspaper and author of The Edifice Complex, believes it is all over for the "icon" - or at least it should be.
"There's something rather curious about the mania to build landmarks and icons. It seems to betray a lack of confidence," he said.
"A confident nation like Wales doesn't need a logo to say 'we're here'. It doesn't need to produce the kind of image you might find as a background to car commercials or inside a paperweight you might find at the seaside."
Charles Jencks, however, strongly disagrees. He himself is designing an iconic landmark for Northumbria in England. Called Northumberlandia, it is monumental landscaping in the form of what will be, if it's built, "the biggest woman in the world".
 |  The best icons are those that become so much later |
"The site has magical meanings, being a place where Roman goddesses were worshipped. My design will reflect all this."
Charles Jencks, who has designed a celebrated 'Garden of Cosmic Speculation' in Scotland, said a Welsh monument should take into account the country's people, history, pre-history and future aspirations.
"It has to be embedded in the lives of local people. It must also have as many uses as possible. For example, I want people to use my design in Northumberland as recreation - you'll be able to walk all over it."
Deyan Sudjic, however, remains sceptical, even suspicious. In his book he sets out to show how the rich and powerful have used buildings - including monuments - to project their power or influence on to the rest of us.
"'Also, trying to make an icon is the worst way to make a building which has iconic significance. It's trying too hard.
"The best icons are those that become so much later. The World Trade Center in New York was hated at first, but after the twin towers disappeared, many felt their loss."
Taking this view, Wales should perhaps let its icons develop, rather than go for the one-off signature monument. We now have the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff, together with the stadium.
Lord Rogers' debating chamber for the Welsh Assembly and Swansea's new waterfront museum are nearly finished. Small scale, high quality architecture is appearing across Wales.
If Deyan Sudjic is right, it will be how we use these buildings and how they do their job that will decide their importance for the nation.
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