The power of great architecture cannot be undervalued

The V&A Dundee is transforming the city, says Prof Graeme Hutton

The challenges of contemporary architecture in Scotland are many and varied, from reclaiming unused industrial sites and poorly planned city centres, to designing sustainable living in rural locations and giving new momentum to the regeneration of communities. A museum might seem an awkward fit in this context – after all, are these not celebrations of past achievements, or safe homes for treasured objects? V&A Dundee, I would argue, is entirely different.

From the earliest discussions about the possibility of building a new world-class museum in Dundee – which started between the University of Dundee and the V&A – ambitions were high, both for the architecture and, importantly, the community and regional impact. The firm intention was to create an incredible, welcoming piece of design for Dundee that would have global significance.

All good architects put human beings at the centre of their designs, and Kengo Kuma is exemplary in this regard. This was clear from his first presentation – he was one of the few architects who drew people in his concepts, getting up close and personal with the building as a piece of landscape. His buildings don’t follow a stylistic pattern and simply “look” the same as each other. What is the same is an underlying attitude and his principles in the use of materials. He creates buildings that you can touch and engage with, that welcome you in an intimate way.

Dundee has a unique waterfront environment that has seen redevelopment at an incredible pace over the past decade. Kuma has designed a museum that is read as neither a pure building nor a landscape, but something in between. It is a sensitive reading of place that is quite unique to Dundee, and it is a building that is commanding international attention before it is even finished.

His design mediates beautifully between the sea and the land, it reconnects the city to the historic waterfront which was its economic lifeblood for so many centuries. And when the building is closed we will still want to go to it, engage with it. When the front door is shut we will still have a huge space, framing the Tay, to engage with and enjoy.

Recently nominated for the 2017 Pritzker Architecture Prize, Kuma is a leading global figure who is now also designing the stadium for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. To have his first building in the UK in Scotland is significant; to have it in Dundee, a city rapidly gathering momentum and rediscovering its confidence, is transformative.

Architecture and design enthusiasts travel the world to see major new projects. Architectural tourism will benefit the city and Scotland enormously. It would be hard to underestimate the draw of both the V&A and the quality of the architecture we’re creating.

And great architecture has that

impact in and of itself, regardless of the fact V&A Dundee will also house design galleries and exhibitions of international quality. Worldclass architecture can change how cities and countries are seen, encouraging people to look at them afresh – or for the very first time.

The new museum also has a distinct Scottishness, with the architect drawing his inspiration for the incredibly complex curving walls – and the horizontal cast stone panels that will be hung from them – of the cliffs of northeastern Scotland. Kuma came to Scotland and literally drew from our landscape, before giving it back to us reimagined and redesigned as a home for design and creativity.

Despite all the excitement, this building is still being built and our relationship with it will soon change fundamentally. It currently sits entirely opposite to the way it will be in a year’s time – the museum is fenced in and we, the public, are removed from it. The cast stone panels will change its appearance from dark and smooth to sinuous and rougher, more tactile and varied in scale.

Architects in Scotland, and clients of major projects north of the Border, should take great interest in V&A Dundee and the confidence with which the museum and its city partners have embraced worldclass design. The ambitions for the new museum are high, but as Kuma himself has identified, this will be a beacon for community engagement and cultural regeneration that reaches far beyond the collections and exhibitions within the building. Scotland has a history of architectural innovation and confidence, and projects like this can attract admiration, attention and investment from across the world. The power of great architecture cannot be underestimated. Graeme Hutton is Professor of Architecture at the University of Dundee and sat on the expert panel who picked the design of V&A Dundee.