kengo kuma's V&A dundee design museum takes shape

in 2010, japanese architect kengo kuma was selected from a strong shortlist to build the V&A dundee — scotland’s first design museum. conceived as a ‘living room’ for the city, the completed building will cantilever above the river tay, reconnecting dundee with its waterfront. although redesigns and rising costs had delayed the project — which originally had an opening date set for 2014 — construction work is now well underway, with the museum scheduled to open its doors in 2018.

V&A dundee is sited next to the last traditional wooden three-masted ship to be built in britain
image courtesy of V&A dundee

V&A museum of design, dundee — kengo kuma’s first british building — will host touring exhibitions from the V&A in purpose-built galleries large enough to present the shows in their entirety. sited next to the RSS discovery, the last traditional wooden three-masted ship to be built in britain, the museum will be surrounded by an inviting plaza that serves as an extension of the public promenade. kuma’s firm, KKAA, used 3D software from dassault systèmes to develop and modify the design.

construction work is now well underway, with the museum scheduled to open in 2018
image courtesy of V&A dundee

externally, horizontal layers of precast concrete will evoke scotland’s rugged cliffs, while carefully positioned voids will allow the structure to establish a connection with its surroundings. clad with locally sourced timber, a large foyer has been imagined as an internal void, capable of hosting a variety of concerts and performances.

the museum will be surrounded by a plaza that forms an extension of the public promenade
image courtesy of V&A dundee

the scheme is the centerpiece of the dundee waterfront regeneration, a £1 billion project designed to reconnect the city with its river. the 30 year redevelopment (2001-2031) stretches 8 kilometers (5 miles) along the tay and is expected to help create more than 7,000 jobs. it was announced late last year that shenzhen’s design society museum will house a new V&A gallery — a collaboration that is the first of its kind between a UK museum and a chinese partner.

the scheme seeks to reconnect the city with its waterfront
image courtesy of V&A dundee