Kengo Kuma visits V&A Museum of Design Dundee site

Kengo Kuma visits V&A Museum of Design Dundee site

Construction site for V&A Museum of Design Dundee
The construction site for the V&A Museum of Design Dundee V&A Dundee/Ross Fraser McLean - Studio RoRo
Japanese architect Kengo Kuma will visit the construction site of the V&A Museum of Design Dundee today, marking a year since the £80.11million project started on the banks of the River Tay.

Dundee's Lord Provost Bob Duncan will welcome Kengo Kuma to the city as they see how his vision is becoming reality during a ‘walk in’ to the building. Its full footprint is now clearly formed with the building's dramatic curvature walls at ground floor level.

Representatives from Dundee City Council and BAM Construction Ltd will accompany Kengo Kuma on the tour of the site.

The Lord Provost said: “People can see from the outside that something really special is beginning to take shape on this site. I am delighted that Kengo Kuma can see how much has been achieved here in the space of a year. We are delighted with the attention that this project is focusing on our city.

“The aspirational V&A Dundee project is designed to provide Dundee and Scotland with a world-class museum, which will help to provide jobs and wider economic benefits.”

V&A Museum of Design Dundee will be an international centre for design, hosting major exhibitions, celebrating design heritage and encouraging future design innovation. Key funders of the project include the Scottish Government, HLF, Dundee City Council, the UK Government and Creative Scotland.

[quote=Dundee's Lord Provost Bob Duncan]“The aspirational V&A Dundee project is designed to provide Dundee and Scotland with a world-class museum, which will help to provide jobs and wider economic benefits.”[/quote]

Kengo Kuma said: "We are delighted that our vision for the V&A Dundee building, which was originally inspired by the beautiful River Tay setting, is now starting to take physical shape. Great progress is being made with the construction and already you can see the connection between the waterfront and the city is so much stronger.

“I am very proud to be part of this exciting development for the city of Dundee and Scotland and to be creating a museum that will inspire people to visit from the UK and beyond.”

Construction started in April 2015. This year’s building programme involves construction of the core inner walls, stairwell and the outer double curvature walls of the building. In 2017, pre-cast panels will be installed to the exterior to give the building its unique slatted, multi-layered appearance. The building is due to be completed in 2018.

Construction of V&A Dundee is also creating a number of benefits for young people: with 16 new start employment opportunities, seven existing apprentices are working on the projects and a further five apprenticeships have been initiated.

This year also marks Scotland's 2016 Year of Innovation, Architecture and Design.

Efallai y bydd gennych chi ddiddordeb hefyd mewn ...