Six elite architectural practices from around the globe are to fight it out to design Dundee’s new Victoria and Albert Museum.
As The Courier exclusively revealed on Thursday, Edinburgh’s Sutherland Hussey Architects is the only UK firm to make the final shortlist, joined by firms from New York, Tokyo, Oslo and Vienna.
Between them, the half dozen firms are responsible for some of the world’s most iconic buildings, including the Porsche museum in Stuttgart and the World Trade Center Museum.
In all, 122 firms submitted bids for the ambitious £47 million project.
The six are Delugan Meissl Association Architects (Vienna), Kengo Kuma and Associations (Tokyo), REX (New York), Snohetta (Oslo), Steven Holl Architects (New York) and Sutherland Hussey Architects (Edinburgh).
Each team will be asked to create a detailed design and models for public display in Abertay University library before the winner is announced later in the summer.
Lesley Knox, chairwoman of Design Dundee Ltd, the company leading the V&A at Dundee project, headed the panel that decided on the shortlist.Transformation”The high quality and wide variety of the shortlist will enable the partners to create a building which will not only be part of the transformation of Dundee’s waterfront but also a landmark for visitors from Scotland and all over the world,” she said.
V&A director Sir Mark Jones added, “We are delighted with the results of the international architectural competition which attracted so many entries from practices all over the world.
“This is a particularly strong shortlist which promises to produce an outstanding building that reflects the V&A’s unique partnership with Dundee.”
Dundee City Council director for city development Mike Galloway said, “The six shortlisted teams include a broad spectrum of experienced consultants from across the world.
“One aspect that is particularly satisfying is that of the wider range of consultants included in those teams, over half of the successful firms are from the UK and almost a third are based in Scotland itself.
“This is a very healthy and balanced mix of expertise which should ensure that the eventual design for the V&A is truly world class.”
The V&A at Dundee will be built on the banks of the Tay, and out on to the Tay, at Craig Harbour.
The project is being headed by Design Dundee Ltd, a partnership between the Victoria and Albert Museum, Dundee and Abertay universities, Dundee City Council and Scottish Enterprise.
The Courier is a media partner for the project.