Architect Kengo Kuma 'very happy' at V&A Dundee progress

Architect Kengo Kuma inspected the museum's curved walls

The architect of Dundee's V&A museum said he was "very happy" with its progress one year after the £80.1m construction project began.

Kengo Kuma was given a tour of the site where construction of the museum's curved inner walls is underway.

The architect said he was confident the museum would be completed on schedule at the end of 2017 and open in the summer of the following year.

It will take the remainder of 2016 to take the building up to roof height.

Mr Kuma said: I am very happy to see the progress of the construction.

"The level of construction is very high and beautiful - it is not an easy construction because the detail is unique.

"I can feel the scale of the spaces and the scale is as I expected."

Kengo Kuma was accompanied on the visit by Lord Provost Bob Duncan (left) and Mike Galloway (right)

Key milestones in the first year of work included the completion of a coffer dam which enabled construction of part of the building that will sit out over the River Tay.

This year's programme involves construction of the core inner walls, stairwell and lift cores and the outer double curvature walls of the building.

The £80.1m museum is expected to open in 2018

Representatives from Dundee City Council and BAM Construction Ltd accompanied Kengo Kuma on the tour of the site.

Dundee Lord Provost Bob Duncan said: "People can see from the outside that something really special is beginning to take shape on this site.

"I am delighted that Kengo Kuma can see how much has been achieved here in the space of a year.

"We are delighted with the attention that this project is focusing on our city."

Construction work on the museum's inner walls is underway

Pre-cast panels will be installed in 2017 to the exterior to give the building its unique slatted, multi-layered appearance.

The museum is the centrepiece of Dundee's £1bn Waterfront project

BAM's construction manager Malcolm Boyd said: "We are relishing meeting the unique technical and construction challenges and working with all our partners to deliver a building that will inspire Dundonians and attract worldwide recognition ."