The impressive new V&A Dundee could have been designed by Frank Gehry
Guggenheim on the Tay
There鈥檚 been a lot of talk about how the impressive new V&A Dundee, which we review this week, is seeking to emulate the regenerating effect that the Guggenheim museum had on Bilbao in Spain.
The idea of a transformed Dundee waterfront has been a long time in the making and originally some took the idea of creating a new Guggenheim much more literally.
In 2003, Frank Gehry, the world-famous architect who designed Bilbao鈥檚 Guggenheim, visited the city to open Maggie鈥檚 Centre, a counselling facility for cancer sufferers.
He was also bestowed with an honorary degree from Dundee University.
At the ceremony, Charles McKean, professor of architectural history at the University of Dundee, suggested the city called for an 鈥渁ppointment for Dr Gehry to advise on the future of the riverfront鈥�. 鈥淒undee has been without a chief architect for a decade. Like Bilbao, it鈥檚 contemplating major change on its riverfront,鈥� he said.
No partnership ever came to fruition 鈥� sought-after doesn鈥檛 begin to describe Gehry鈥檚 work, and his practice completed nine projects between 2003 and 2005.
What would the Dundee waterfront look like now if he had said yes?
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