The Story

V&A Dundee presents the brilliance of Scottish creativity and the best of design from around the world. The first ever dedicated design museum in Scotland and the only other V&A museum anywhere in the world outside London, V&A Dundee provides a place of inspiration, discovery and learning through its mission to enrich lives through design. Created through a ground-breaking partnership between the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, Dundee City Council, Scottish Enterprise and the universities of Dundee and Abertay, the museum opened its doors in September 2018. As a key part of the city’s regeneration, as well as a landmark museum for the 21 century, the design brief required the building’s energy systems to have the highest level of energy efficiency and innovation.

In 2011, during the initial design phases, a Low and Zero Carbon Technologies study was undertaken to identify the most appropriate form of renewable energy for the museum. Renewable energy options were analysed including wind turbines, solar panels, photovoltaic cells, biomass and river source heat pumps. A ground source heat pump – supplemented with air source heat pumps on the roof – was identified as the most energy efficient option to provide heating and cooling to the building. An additional benefit was that such a method would have no adverse aesthetic impact on the museum’s exterior. In total, 30 boreholes – each with a depth of 200 metres – use the latent heat from the ground to provide a stable supply of heat to the building during colder weather.

The system is designed to operate in reverse during the summer to cool the building and recharge the boreholes. V&A Dundee is primarily constructed using reinforced concrete which has a high thermal mass, meaning it retains heat and releases it slowly, helping to avoid large temperature fluctuations in the museum. Underfloor heating is also an effective way of keeping the building at a more stable temperature, while natural ventilation is used to reduce the need for complex mechanised systems to circulate air. The whole system is continuously monitored and controlled by the Building Management System (BMS) building manager and systems are adjusted automatically as required, based on internal and external conditions. For example, when the COVID-19 pandemic restricted people from using buildings normally, the BMS increased the fresh air intake by the air handling units to optimise the air quality. In addition, the BMS carefully monitors the environmental conditions in the galleries, an essential requirement for a museum which contains objects that are incredibly sensitive to fluctuations in light, temperature of humidity. Sustainability doesn’t stop at the physical building; it extends to our programmes and working practices through reusing materials, minimising waste and using local suppliers where possible. Partnerships with external organisations and participation in events such as Green Health Week also help to highlight much of this ongoing work. Lastly, the core inspiration for the design of the museum is based on a connection with and awareness of the natural world.