Signature buildings by internationally successful architects are often derided as being alien—lacking a relationship to context. Yet the V&A Dundee, which just opened in this Scottish waterfront city, is an affirmation of universal design values. In conceptualizing the museum, Kengo Kuma turned to his cultural heritage. “One of the ideas behind the building is that it is like a torii gate in Japan,” says the architect, “which usually connects a village to the mountains.” Indeed, in a visual sense, the V&A Dundee does act like this element: it is composed of two inverted pyramids that create an archway, framing the adjacent River Tay. As Kuma himself suggests, these volumes share the serrated profile of early Buddhist temples such as those at Hōryū-ji. The museum, which looks a little Japanese, shows how architectural solutions indicative of a specific culture can successfully be reinterpreted in a broader context.