Architect's seal of approval for V&A Dundee Museum
The architect of Dundee's £80.1m V&A Museum of Design has visited the completed building for the first time.
Kengo Kuma, who is also designing the National Stadium for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, thanked the construction staff "who brought our design to life". Fitting out work has started inside the museum, which opens to the public on 15 September. Its first exhibition will be Ocean Liners - Speed and Style, exploring the golden age of ocean travel. The museum will also feature Charles Rennie Mackintosh's fully-restored Oak Room at the centre of its permanent Scottish Design Galleries. Mr Kuma said: "I appreciate the team's construction, it is not an easy building. "Structurally and detail-wise, it is a big challenge. "The final quality of the building is amazing, I really have to say that." More than 1,500 people worked on the construction of the museum, which began in March 2015. Dundee City Council leader John Alexander said he believed people in Dundee have already embraced the new museum. He said: "It's really exciting for me to see some of the change in viewpoints as well. "Obviously when we initially touted this there were some opinions that were against what the building represented or what it looked like. "I think people have bought into the design as we've moved through the development of it. "Certainly I think people have taken it under their wing and see it as theirs. "It's the people of Dundee's museum and we can't wait to welcome them in September to it."