Probably one of the most unloved Brutalist buildings in the UK, with its sculptural harsh concrete exterior, the Hayward Gallery on the South Bank has been refurbished on the interior by FCB Studio Architects, keeping the Brutalist essence of the building, but with one radical change – opening up the rooflights to allow daylight to flood in, originally planned but darkened soon after opening – hooray it makes such a difference.

Plans for a new rooftop gallery extension have come to nothing; now it is about making the best of the existing building;  the concrete is cleaned; the bronze is shiny; the staircase treads have been retiled, but it is essentially the same building, with the galleries and terraces arranged around the central concrete staircase.    Refurbishment of the exterior is planned to follow as a separate phase; until then bright yellow staircase towers contrast with the brutalist concrete.

The first exhibition is the meticulous photography of the German photographer Andreas Gursky who records different aspects of 21st century life, urbanisation and culture, including a vast Amazon warehouse and some Brutalist architecture from Paris, here within London’s Brutalist architecture, finding visual patterns and rhythm within 21st century life from opening ceremonies at the Olympics to Formula 1 racing tracks and, in the week where the founder of IKEA died, to factories where IKEA products are produced.