An international architectural competition is being launched to deliver a landmark building for The V&A at Dundee, a new centre of 21st century design for Scotland.

The structure will occupy a site at the centre of Dundee's redeveloped waterfront area, sitting just to the south of Craig Harbour on a site to be created projecting out into the River Tay.

Mike Galloway, Dundee City Council's director of city development said: "We want to find a design team that can deliver a world class building fitting for such a high quality project.

"A two-stage architectural competition is about to be launched and we expect to have interest in this project from prominent architects and designers from around the world."

The site is being made available through the Dundee Central Waterfront Partnership, the joint venture between Dundee City Council and Scottish Enterprise which is revitalising the prime area of land linking the city centre with the River Tay. Designers will be invited to make proposals for a building that reflects the V&A at Dundee project partnership's desire to stimulate commerce as well as local and visitor interest.

The V&A at Dundee is being delivered by a partnership between the Victoria and Albert Museum, the University of Dundee, the University of Abertay Dundee, Dundee City Council and Scottish Enterprise.

Funding for the £47m project - which is scheduled to open in 2014 and will host a range of exhibitions and events featuring content from the V&A - is anticipated to come from the Scottish Government, other public bodies and private donations.

Culture minister Fiona Hyslop said: "The V&A at Dundee will boost the city's - and Scotland's - reputation as a thriving centre for the creative industries.

"The Scottish Government has put on record its strong support for this exciting project, so I am pleased to see the partnership making good progress in identifying a prime site on Dundee's revitalised waterfront."

Sir Mark Jones, director of the V&A said: "The creation of the V&A at Dundee fulfils the V&A's aim of sharing its collections, exhibitions, skills and resources, reaching new audiences and giving access to more people nationally and internationally."

Details of the competition will be published in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU).

Pic: The original V&A in London