Kengo Kuma’s first UK building opens for visitors in September

Drone images of the new V&A museum in Dundee have been released, giving visitors a glimpse of what to expect once the building opens on September 15th. Following an international competition launched in 2010, the museum was designed by Kengo Kuma as the centrepiece of a £1 billion transformation of Dundee’s city waterfront. The new footage shows the dramatic form of the completed riverside museum, with nearly 2,500 pre-cast concrete panels hanging from its curving walls.
 
Kengo Kuma took inspiration from the local Scottish landscape for Dundee V&A, his firm’s first UK design project. On winning the competition, he said: “As we started thinking about the project, one of my colleagues showed me a picture of the cliffs of northeastern Scotland - it’s as if the earth and water had a long conversation and finally created this stunning shape. The design of V&A Dundee attempts to translate this geographical uniqueness into the building by creating an artificial cliff.”

As well as making references to the natural world, elements of the design were influenced by Dundee’s industrial history.  The museum features a ‘prow’ leaning out over the water, recalling ships at the former Earl Grey Dock which once occupied the site, operating at a time when the city’s economy was dominated by shipbuilding and the textile trade.

After the opening ceremony, visitors to the museum will be able to take in the Scottish Design Galleries, telling the story of the nation’s creativity from the 15th century to today, while the exhibition galleries will present Ocean Liners: Speed and Style as the first major show. Philip Long, Director of V&A Dundee, stated: “We are thrilled to be preparing to launch the first dedicated design museum in Scotland, and to reveal a remarkable new piece of architecture by Kengo Kuma. The new museum is at the heart of a truly incredible city and we look forward to celebrating the opening.” 

Lucy Nordberg
TenderStream Head of Research

This competition was first published by TenderStream here

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