The Victoria & Albert Museum in London is creating a groundbreaking new Scottish branch situated at Craig Harbour in Dundee next to the RSS Discovery, the ship used by Captain Scott and Ernest Shackleton's expedition to Antarctica in 1901.

The building, which is due to be completed by 2014, will be the V&A’s first base outside of London and will provide a platform from which to promote Scotland’s designers, makers and artists. It will house contemporary collections from the V&A in London, as well as attracting touring international exhibitions and the best home-grown talent.

The plan is masterminded by Design Dundee Ltd, a partnership between the Victoria and Albert Museum (the world’s largest museum of design and decorative arts) and the University of Dundee, the University of Abertay, Dundee City Council and Scottish Enterprise.

The project is the focal point of a wider scheme that aims to revitalise the area of land linking the city centre with the River Tay, to attract businesses and tourists as well as positioning Dundee as a centre for creativity in Scotland and the UK as a whole.

Over the past decade similar regeneration projects have been successful throughout Scotland such as The Shore at Leith and Glasgow’s Pacific and Atlantic Quays. 

Designers were invited to submit proposals for the building earlier this year, with over one hundred and twenty submissions. The final shortlist of 6 proposals will be on show from September 29th at the University of Abertay as part of the Making it Happen exhibition, where members of the public can give their feedback on each of the designs.

The shortlisted candidates are: Delugan Meissl Associated Architects from Vienna, Kengo Kuma & Associates of Tokyo, New Yorkers, REX and Steven Holl Architects, Snøhetta from Oslo and homegrown talent Sutherland Hussey Architects of Edinburgh.

Lesley Knox, Chair of Design Dundee Ltd and of the panel which shortlisted the designs, said of the forthcoming Making it Happen exhibition “This is another exciting step forward for the V&A at Dundee and it is a first chance for us all to see the potential shape and style of the building, as envisioned by six world-class design teams.”

She added “We hope as many people as possible visit the exhibition and express their opinions on the various models and designs. The Centre will occupy a site on the Waterfront, which must be one of the most dramatic settings in Scotland, and we intend to have a building which is worthy of the site.”

To find out more about the project visit the V&A at Dundee's website or to see examples of the designs visit the BBC News website.