Acclaimed Japanese architect Kengo Kuma-designed the V&A Dundee Museum of Design is nearing completion in the city of Dundee in the northern part of Scotland, United Kingdom. It has officially been announced that the V&A Dundee will be opened to the public on September 15, 2018, which will be the first V&A division located outside of London.

Newly-released images show that approximately 90% of the structure is almost complete, which is made up of 2,500 cast stone panels now hung on the walls, giving a curve both vertically and horizontally.

Video courtesy of V&A Dundee Museum

Kuma's £1 billion transformation (over $111 million USD) is located along the waterfront in the city of Dundee, once part of the city's docklands. 

The architect's complex geometry is inspired by the dramatic cliffs along the east coast of Scotland, it stretches out into the River Tay – a new landmark reconnecting the city with its historic waterfront, and a major new cultural development for Scotland and the UK.

The V&A Dundee Museum of Design will feature permanent galleries of Scottish design, as well as an ambitious international programme of changing exhibitions showcasing the very best of design from around the world, new design commissions, fast-changing installations by emerging designers and creative projects developed through our learning programme for all our audiences.

At the heart of V&A Dundee, the Scottish Design Galleries will present the story of Scotland’s exceptional and international design heritage. Curated in collaboration with the V&A, these galleries will be free to enter and feature around 300 exhibits drawn from the remarkable collections of the V&A, as well as from museums and private collections across Scotland and the world, covering architecture, ceramics, engineering, fashion, furniture, healthcare, jewellery, textiles, videogame design and more.

The outer skin of the museum is wrapped by a distinguishing panel feature - each weighing between 1.5 and 2.5 tonnes, inspired by the cliffs of Scotland’s coastline. 

Image © Alan Richardson, courtesy of V&A Dundee

Speaking about the progress of construction ahead of openning this year, Kuma said: "my inspiration always starts from the place where the project will be. In the past I visited Scotland many times, this very beautiful country, and I’m truly in love with the Scottish landscape and nature."

"I really hope that, once finished, this project will attract many people from the UK, and around the world, to the city and the museum. I hope as well that people from Dundee will use it as an everyday part of their city, that they will go there to enjoy the building with its surrounding public space and find a harmonious relationship between the museum, the riverside, the city and themselves."

V&A Dundee is being delivered by an innovative founding partnership of the V&A, Dundee City Council, the University of Dundee, Abertay University and Scottish Enterprise.

Despite the fact that there are no images posted from the interiors till now, Kengo Kuma's previous renderings show that the firm designed a large horizontal "hole" in the centre of the building. 

This "hole" represents an attempt to connect Union Street which runs through the centre of Dundee with the beautiful natural scenery of the River Tay. 

This feature was adopted in order to create a 21st century type cultural facility that is an integral part of the environment and community which replaces 20th century type art museums that were cut off from the environment.

The foyer was designed as a large void that is covered with locally available wood that has a soft texture with the intention that it be used as a "Living Room" capable of revitalizing the community by providing a venue where various concerts and performances are held.

"After many years of planning for V&A Dundee, we are absolutely thrilled to announce the date of the new museum’s opening," said Philip Long, Director of V&A Dundee. 

"In just eight months we will be opening the doors and welcoming our first visitors. V&A Dundee is set to be a vital new cultural organisation for Dundee, the UK and beyond, helping to change understanding of just how important design and creativity are to people’s lives. We are enormously grateful to all our supporters for helping to make this happen."

"V&A Dundee brings something new to Scotland. It is the country’s first museum dedicated to design, which visitors will be able to experience and get involved with in very many ways. Particularly important is that the new museum enables major V&A exhibitions to be seen more widely by more people across the UK. So I am especially excited that part of V&A Dundee’s opening programme will be the breath-taking exhibition Ocean Liners: Speed & Style, the first of many ambitious exhibitions at V&A Dundee that will show how our lives have been – and always will be – shaped by design."

V&A Dundee is being developed with support from the Scottish Government, Heritage Lottery Fund, Dundee City Council, the UK Government, Creative Scotland, Scottish Enterprise, University of Dundee, Abertay University and many trusts, companies and private donors.

At the centre of these galleries will stand Charles Rennie Mackintosh’s magnificent Oak Room, fully restored and preserved for future generations in a partnership with Glasgow Life. 

The 13.5-metre-long panelled room was originally designed for Miss Cranston’s Ingram Street tearooms in Glasgow in 1907, before being saved – and placed in storage in hundreds of pieces – almost 50 years ago. Other key objects in the Scottish Design Galleries will include a beautifully decorated 15th century Book of Hours, a spectacular Cartier ‘Valkyrie’ diamond tiara, original Beano artworks from Dundee publishers DC Thomson, and the snap40 digital device which is designed to improve healthcare.

The new museum enables V&A’s most ambitious exhibitions to be shared more widely across the UK. The opening exhibition Ocean Liners: Speed & Style, supported by players of People’s Postcode Lottery and investment managers Baillie Gifford, will explore the designs behind a mode of transport that came to represent the status of nations and the aspirations of millions. 

The show, organised by the V&A and the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Massachusetts, is the first to explore the design and cultural impact of the ocean liner on an international scale. 

It will re-imagine the golden age of ocean travel and explore all aspects of ship design from the remarkable engineering, architecture and interiors to the opulent fashion and lifestyle on board. 

Further exhibition announcements will be made ahead of the museum’s opening. "The temporary exhibitions and permanent galleries will be complemented by exciting new commissions and installations, supporting and showcasing emerging design talent," explained  the V&A Dundee.

"The opening of V&A Dundee this year will be a remarkable moment for Dundee, the V&A and the UK. The V&A was founded to champion British design, showcase the greatest works of creative ingenuity and enrich everyone’s imagination," said Tristram Hunt, Director of the V&A.

"V&A Dundee will build on our deep connections to the story of Scottish design and its meaning for modern practitioners, sharing our collections and world-class exhibitions. This is a cultural milestone for Dundee and a new opportunity for the UK to show the world how art and design can educate and inspire."

Kengo Kuma & Associates was first selected as the winner of a competition in 2010 to design Scotland's iconic building by beating top international architects, including Steven Holl Architects, REX, Snøhetta, Delugan Meissl Associated Architects, and Sutherland Hussey Architects. The project was approved by the City Council in 2012. 

The original price tag of the building was first set at £45 (over $62 million USD) but later its cost were later estimated at £80.11 million (over $111 million USD). Construction work began on site in 2015 but the project has seen long delays due to its double budget for 7 years. 

After receiving an extra £20 million funding from the government in 2016, the new funding boosted some improvements and the remaining construction work on site.

All images © Ross Fraser McLean, courtesy of V&A Dundee

> via V&A Dundee & Kengo Kuma & Associates