kengo kuma completes V&A dundee design museum

after years of planning and construction, the much-anticipated V&A dundee is finally ready to welcome its first visitors. designed by japanese architect kengo kuma, the building contains scotland’s first design museum and seeks to investigate the international importance of design while presenting the country’s outstanding achievements in the field. the project, which took three and a half years to complete, stands at the center of a £1 billion transformation of the dundee waterfront, once part of the city’s docklands.

all images © hufton + crow | video by rapid visual media

stretching out into dundee’s river tay, kengo kuma’s geometric design is inspired by scotland’s dramatic cliffs. ‘the big idea for V&A dundee was bringing together nature and architecture, to create a new living room for the city,’ explains the japanese architect. ‘I’m truly in love with the scottish landscape and nature. I was inspired by the cliffs of north-eastern scotland — it’s as if the earth and water had a long conversation and finally created this stunning shape. I hope the museum can change the city and become its center of gravity.’

the geometric design is inspired by scotland’s dramatic cliffs

at the heart of the museum, the scottish design galleries feature 300 exhibits drawn from the V&A’s rich collections of scottish design, as well as from museums and private collections across scotland and the world. here, visitors will be able to experience an oak room designed by charles rennie mackintosh, which has been carefully restored, conserved, and reconstructed within the museum.

the building stretches out into the river tay

‘V&A dundee’s aspiration is to enrich lives, helping people to enjoy, be inspired by and find new opportunities through understanding the designed world,’ says philip long, director of V&A dundee. ‘the museum’s light-filled wooden interior and impressive spaces inside have been designed to provide a warm welcome to visitors, described by architect kengo kuma as a ‘living room for the city’. we are all very excited indeed that we can now welcome everybody into this remarkable new museum.’

the structure contains scotland’s first design museum

the public opening of the museum will be celebrated by the 3D festival, a free two-day event on 14 and 15 september 2018, which includes musical performances as well as new dance, design, and lighting collaborations. V&A dundee is free to enter and every day from 10am to 5pm. the institution opens with an exhibition that explores the design and cultural impact of the ocean liner on an international scale, with new commissions and installations to be announced in due course.

the project is located at the heart of the city’s revitalized waterfront