The architect who designed Dundee's new V&A museum has backed potential development works surrounding the building.

Japanese architect Kengo Kuma told council bosses that plans for the Dundee Waterfront are "an appropriate backdrop" for the building.

BAM Construction started developing the £80 million V&A museum in April 2015 and the facility is scheduled to open to the public this September.

Mr Kuma's made his comments after the council revealed the operator for the new four star plus hotel directly opposite the museum, Marriott Hotels International

The company will be asked to agree a letter of Intent to operate an hotel under its ‘AC’ brand, the first of its kind in Scotland. Features will include 72,698 sq ft of accommodation consisting of a 150 bedroom upscale, full service hotel. Facilities would include a restaurant and bar plus meeting/conference facilities and gym.

Site six is located to the south west of Slessor Gardens and immediately north of the new V&A Dundee. Planning permission was granted in June last year for a mixed use development comprising a hotel, office space, residential and ground floor spaces which will be suitable for leisure, food & drink and retail uses.


Speaking in the wake of his most recent visit to Dundee, Mr Kuma said: "My building was always designed to complement and harmonise with its surroundings and the adjacent developments.

"It was never designed in isolation and was always meant to be part of a built environment with a flow of people and buildings with other uses in proximity. Dundee Waterfront is a stunning location and the planned developments will create a thriving platform for the city's ambitious regeneration and an appropriate backdrop for the V&A."

Lynne Short convener of the city council's city development committee, said: "The mixed use development at site six has always included proposals for a high quality new hotel at what is a uniquely prestigious location that offers a prime opportunity to add to our top class hotel facilities.

"An international, design-led hotel of this high level of prestige is essential if the city is to maximise the tourism potential of the V&A from both leisure and business visitors."

City Council Leader, John Alexander, said: "The hotel at site six is the perfect fit for our vision for the waterfront. It matches exactly the scale of ambition that we have for the area and the whole city and is a sign that developers, operators and investors are seeing the mutual benefit of being involved at Dundee Waterfront."

According to a report due to be considered by the city development committee on 26 February, the proposed hotel development will employ around 120 full time equivalent posts plus a further 260 construction jobs during the building works.

(LM)