FGS have installed their flagship VS-1 curtain walling system at an iconic new addition to the Dundee waterfront: The V&A Museum on the banks of the River Tay.

Designing and installing a VS-1 system with the sufficient structural strength capable of withstanding a significant wave load enabled FGS to secure a significant contract as part of the £80.11 million construction of the new V&A Museum of Design Dundee.

With a slatted, multi-layered external appearance, as well as its distinctive ‘prow’-shaped facade which juts out directly over the Tay, the complex geometry of V&A Dundee’s design presented several unique challenges for specifying and installing its component parts.

FGS was tasked with creating a flush mullion profile which would provide uniformity and consistency across all the building’s elevations, as well as being capable of withstanding the marine environment next to the River Tay.

FGS was awarded the contract to manufacture and install a building envelope that, due to the building’s waterfront location, was required to be capable of withstanding a considerable wave load, as high as 32,000 pascals. FGS developed a bespoke mullion profile which could be utilised on all screens and would be able to accommodate the water pressure.

A further challenge was ensuring that the building’s complex external structure would be able to accommodate the specified glazing profile. Surveying all of the window and majority of screen openings ensured that FGS’ fully fabricated duplex stainless-steel perimeter frames could be seamlessly installed, with no compromises required to create the architect’s desired vision.

Factoring in the building’s proximity to the River Tay, the internal paint finish of the VS-1 system was installed by FGS to a very high marine grade. All external works were anodised or of duplex stainless-steel composition. To enable installation of the south wall structure incorporating Glassolutions VS-1 triangulated screens and punched windows, BAM constructed an in-filled cofferdam into the River Tay.

FGS incorporated a shadow box detail to each of the building’s terrace screens to conceal the parapet roof build-up. This allowed the blind and fixing brackets to be concealed from external view, while the soffit detail concealed them from the inside.