A ground-breaking ceremony has marked the start of construction work on Dundee's new V&A Museum of Design.

Japanese architect Kengo Kuma joined Fiona Hyslop, Cabinet Secretary for Culture, Europe and External Affairs, and representatives of V&A Dundee, Dundee City Council and BAM Construction for a short ceremony to mark the beginning of work on the waterfront project.

The £80.11m project is the first ever design museum to be built in the UK outside London. It is due to open to the public in June 2018 and will be Kengo Kuma's first building in the UK.

Initial work on site will include the creation of a coffer dam, and the installation of site hoardings.

Kengo Kuma, the museum's architect, said: "It's always a great pleasure to Scotland, a country I love very much. When I first arrived for the competition site visit in 2010, Dundee was a very different place. Already you can see the connection between the beautiful waterfront setting, the environment and the city is so much stronger.

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"We are delighted that our vision for the V&A Dundee building, which was originally inspired by the breathtaking natural setting, is now starting to take physical shape, creating a real sense of place. We look forward to forging even closer links between the people and cultures of Japan and Scotland over the coming years."

Cabinet Secretary for Culture, Europe and External Affairs, Fiona Hyslop, said: "Kengo Kuma has set out a spectacular vision for V&A Dundee that heralds a bright future for Dundee as the UK's first UNESCO City of Design. Today work begins in earnest on a world-class design museum for the whole of Scotland and demonstrates our ambitions for the Dundee as well as Scottish culture and tourism.

"Hundreds of thousands of visitors from far and wide will come to V&A Dundee to enjoy its world-class exhibitions. The benefits are much larger than the £11.4m boost to the economy, V&A Dundee will showcase Scotland's renowned design heritage, the talent of our nation and stimulate innovation to drive our economy forward."

Phillip Long, Director, V&A Museum of Design Dundee, said: "This is a special day – an historic moment for Dundee. We are beginning the construction of a new building that, through its design, already helps symbolise this city's new confidence. As the building develops, day-by-day it will demonstrate Dundee's growing ambition in a very real and physical way.

"We believe this is a project that has the potential to reshape our national landscape and be of benefit to all of us. We would like to thank everyone who has helped us reach this momentous day and we hope to keep all of our supporters and champions involved and inspired a long way into the future."

(IT/JP)