Dundee's future - European city of architecture and the arts

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We visited the V&A Exhibition at Abertay University in November.  We didn’t have a clear favourite but for us, there were two that stood out: ‘the bluebell’ by New York practice, Rex and the ‘powerstation’ by Scottish architects Sutherland Hussey. 

We liked Rex’s design as it was vibrant, iconic and very unusual. 

 

Sutherland Hussey’s design was simple, interesting and inspired by Scotland’s history.  Their design also seemed to pay the most attention to the setting and the tidal river.  We were also little bit biased as Building Workshop’s structural engineer worked with Edinburgh architects Sutherland-Hussey on the design!

The exhibition of the six finalists is now going on tour: it will spend January in Holyrood, Edinburgh; February in The Lighthouse, Glasgow; and then in April it will go down to the V&A South Kensington, London. 

It’s really exciting to think what a positive impact the new V&A will have on Dundee. The opening of the iconic Guggenheim museum in 1997 put Bilbao firmly on the map. 

The building designed by North American architect, Frank Gehry, has played a huge part in Bilbao’s social, economic and cultural development and we hope that the new V&A will have a similar effect on Dundee.

There will still be a lot of preparation to do and Kengo Kuma will continue to work on the design throughout 2011.  Construction is projected to start in autumn 2012 and V&A Dundee is projected to open in Autumn 2014. 

The museum will exhibit Scottish design, international design – including exhibitions from the V&A London – and will be a place to shop, eat and meet friends or colleagues.

Kengo Kuma's winning Design for the V&A Dundee

Kengo Kuma and Associates, the winner, is an award winning Japanese practice with offices in Tokyo and Paris.  Kengo Kuma’s building will form part of the overall masterplan for the Dundee Waterfront Project.  The plan is to transform Dundee’s waterfront into a modern, accessible, functional and attractive space with walking and cycling routes, improved public transport, a new street grid and a new railway station and arrival square.  This project is to be completed in 2031, so we’ve got a long wait ahead of us!  As well as being great for the people of Dundee, this will make the city much more appealing for visitors.