WITH its modernistic liner-inspired profile, it evokes a city’s rich maritime heritage with a strikingly cutting edge profile.

Since opening in April to mark 100 years since the Titanic sank, it has been full steam ahead for the SeaCity Museum in Southampton , with more than 60,000 visitors passing through its doors.

Now the iconic structure has extra wind in its sails after it was shortlisted as a nominee for the prestigious Structural Awards 2012 alongside some of the world’s most remarkable constructions.

This includes The London 2012 Olympic Stadium, the Titanic Museum in Belfast, Adidas Laces in Germany and Al Hamra Firdous Tower in Kuwait.

Southampton City Council major projects manager Tina Dyer-Slade said: “We are thrilled to be in such exalted company in the shortlist of these awards.

“This recognition for those efforts is a tribute to all the commitment and talent involved in its creation.

“While SeaCity may not be on the same scale as the Olympic Stadium, we are justifiably proud of the transformation we have achieved here.”

Award sponsors, the Institution of Structural Engineers, have recognised SeaCity Museum’s focus on the unique and considerable maritime history while playing its part in a cultural regeneration at the heart of the city.

Also singled out was the transformation and extension of Southampton’s Grade II listed former magistrates’ courts and police headquarters into a major cultural and heritage attraction.

At its opening in April this year, exactly a hundred years to the day the Titanic set sail, the museum showed off its 2,500-strong collection of documents, recordings and artefacts from the ill-fated voyage.

The museum was built alongside the renovation of the Southampton Civic Centre.

The northern façade of the building features a bold new exhibition pavilion in which to display Southampton’s rich and varied aquatic heritage.

The 2012 winners will be announced on November 2 at the Marriott Grosvenor Square, London and the event promises to live up to its reputation as a great evening of celebration for everybody involved.