Dry land beckons for Kengo Kuma's V&A waterfront outpost in Dundee

The competition-winning scheme, which was rubberstamped by Dundee City Council last month (AJ 18.09.2012), was originally designed to sit just off the waterfront, south of Craig Harbour, in the River Tay.

However the practice has revealed new proposals which will see it brought onto the the dockside with only the `prow’ of the building extending over the waterfront. The reworked scheme would instead occupy the western half of the soon-to-be demolished Olympia leisure centre.

The latest plans are still to be considered by the Design Dundee board, which will make a final decision on the proposal.

Philip Long, director of the V&A at Dundee, said: ‘[This design] gives us greater certainty with regards to the building schedule while retaining the quality of the overall design, which is absolutely paramount.’

Commenting on the move, an ‘unsurprised’ Alan Dunlop of Glasgow-based Alan Dunlop Architects said: ‘There was always a concern about how such an architecturally ambitious project could be funded within the stated budget. I’m mainly disappointed though for Sutherland Hussey, who’s submission was also excellent but for me had a better understanding of context but also driven by meeting the competition budget.’

One competition entrant, who wished to remain anonymous, described the move as ‘shortsighted’ saying that a ‘premier league cultural institution with a global brand should be looking at the 100 to 200 year view’ and that keeping it in the water would be ‘a much more imaginative magnet internationally’.

The AJ predicted back in December 2010 that Kengo Kuma’s original scheme would not be brought in within budget without a rethink.

Construction work is expected to begin on the new V&A building in 2013.