The Victoria & Albert Museum as a Daylit Inverted Pyramid

One of the six finalist design proposals for the <a href="http://vandaatdundee.com/your-future/shortlist/" target="_blank">Victoria &amp; Albert Museum in Dundee, Scotland</a> is a mirrored inverted pyramid by New York-based <a href="http://rex-ny.com/work" target="_blank">REX</a>. Inspired by the Scottish Bluebell, REX's design calls for a flower-shaped building that opens up to the sky at the top with an exterior clad in mirrored glass to reflect the surroundings. The design maximizes <a href="../daylighting" target="_blank">daylighting</a> through skylights and due to its inverted shape can provide its own shading during the summer.

REX proposes a grand museum located on a pier over the River Tay in Dundee Scotland.

The museum will sit prominently on Union street and visually connect the building with the urban fabric of the city.

Daylighting will be a major feature in the design of the museum so the galleries and exhibition spaces have the best light possible.

The museum will look out over the water of the river and have outstanding views of the surrounding city.

At night each layer of the four story museum will stand out as it is lit from within.

The shape of the museum was determined by programmatic needs and began as a simple cube with four layers that was stretched to accommodate the gallery space on top.

The ground floor was shrunk to reduce the building's footprint and sustainable design was maximized by the inverted pyramid shape.

The building's services were placed in the core to centralize them and improve efficiency and circulation. Then the exterior was shrink wrapped to reduce unnecessary building space.

Finally a mirrored facade was designed to reflect the museum's surroundings and, in the end, the museum echoes the concept of the Scottish Bluebell.

The gallery and exhibition space were also thoughtfully planned out with an efficient and flexible layout.

The gallery space on the top floor benefits from the amazing daylighting from the rooftop skylights.

The V&amp;A at Dundee’s Grand Staircase is a continuation of the exterior plaza, taking patrons on a journey through design, from initial concepts to points of sale.

As the Grand Staircase slices through the V&amp;A at Dundee, publicly connecting each of its discrete layers, it integrates tribune seating in the entry to provide a view of the Digital Wall and a meeting point for groups. The Creative Layer provides a Public Observation Zone from which to watch the V&amp;A at Dundee’s practitioners-in-residence.