BEST NEW PUBLIC BUILDING
V&A DUNDEE, UK, BY KENGO KUMA AND ASSOCIATES
The highly sculptural V&A Dundee is Japanese architect Kengo Kuma’s first UK building – and Scotland’s first dedicated design museum. The ragged cliffs of northeastern Scotland inspired the composition’s distinct shape, clad in some 2,500 sheets of layered horizontal cast-stone panelling. Yet the concrete structure appears light, bearing an abstracted resemblance to the prow of a moored ship. Kuma wanted this building to welcome visitors with a strong design gesture. Located on the city’s waterfront, overlooking the River Tay, the new museum also includes a café, restaurant and learning facilities. kkaa.co.jp; vam.ac.uk/dundee