OPEN FORUM

Behind the new V&A East's intricate façade is a space for the imagination to unfold

- ELLIE STATHAKI

It only takes a quick walk around Stratford station to realise that there are changes afoot in this corner of East London; and one of the biggest is swiftly taking shape, its concrete pleats seemingly moving in the summer breeze. V&A East and its dynamic, soon-to-be-instantly recognisable volume is somewhere midway through construction. The cultural destination is working full steam ahead towards a 2025 opening, as part of a twin scheme alongside V&A East Storehouse (designed by Diller Scofidio + Renfro with support from Austin-Smith:Lord), the V&A's upcoming immersive archive experience. The new museum's architects, Dublin-based practice O'Donnell + Tuomey, stress that in their project, this urban context was key as was creativity, making and design itself, which not only will be celebrated in the content and exhibits, but also offered inspiration for the structure's shape.

The two V&A outposts are part of East Bank, the Mayor of London's £1.ibn ongoing Olympic legacy project, which is slowly but steadily transforming the area beyond its well-documented facelift during the 2012 Games. Other important future additions to the neighbourhood are the Sadler's Wells Theatre, the BBC Music Studios, and the UCL East campus.