V&A Dundee celebrates milestone as construction nears completion

Dundee's V&A museum has officially entered its final stages of construction.

The building's temporary cofferdam has been removed from the outer river-facing wall, which stopped the site flooding so it could be built in the River Tay.

This involved digging out 12,500 tonnes of stone and cutting out a structure of vertical metal sheets which was constructed on the bedrock of the river.

All outside walls are also now complete, with all 2,500 cast stone panels now hung on V&A Dundee’s complex walls-which were inspired by Scotland's cliffs.

Today, the museum was visited by the man who designed it, Japanese architect, Kengo Kuma.

He 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 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.

“I am delighted and satisfied with what we’ve achieved so far. The realisation of the strong façade is great. We were able to express the dynamic scale of the interior, too - just as we had planned.”

V&A Dundee will be the first building in the UK designed by Kengo Kuma, the internationally renowned architect who is also part of the team designing the Tokyo 2020 Olympic stadium.

Philip Long, Director of V&A Dundee, said: “It is a real pleasure to have the architect of V&A Dundee, Kengo Kuma, with us today to see the incredible progress that has been made in bringing his vision to life.

"Everyone working on the design and construction should be incredibly proud of what they’ve achieved.

“V&A Dundee has been out in communities across Scotland since 2014 with talks, workshops and exhibitions, meeting thousands of people and sharing our passion for the importance of design.

"We can’t wait to welcome everyone when we open the museum next year.”

John Alexander leader of Dundee City Council, said: “It’s fantastic to have Kengo Kuma here to cast his expert eye over this amazing feat of engineering, particularly as V&A Dundee moves closer to completion.

“V&A Dundee is a very visible and tangible example of the city’s growing confidence, culture and regeneration - something which everyone in Dundee has bought into.

“The city has a new energy and vibrancy and this is a clear example of our bold ambition.”

V&A Dundee is set to open in 2018, with the date to be announced.