Zaha Hadid Architects Center Courtesy of Helene Binet 03 02 Courtesy of Helen Binet Baan Courtesy of Iwan 01 02 03 01

Program Date Location Project Client Size , Heydar Aliyev Mixed-use cultural Center center Azerbaijan 2007 / 2012 101,801 m2 101,801 and urban plaza, figure and ground, interior ground, and figure plaza, urban and and exterior. different different levels of the interior. With this conventional the blurs building the gesture, architectural object between differentiation and urban landscape, building envelope an architectural landscape that performs an architectural landscape that performs a multitude of functions: embracing, and welcoming, directing visitors through celebration of contemporary and traditional Azeri culture. Elaborate formations such and as undulations, bifurcations, folds, inflections modify this plaza surface into urban fabric, rises to envelop an equally rises to envelop urban fabric, sequence a define and space interior public spaces dedicated to the collective of event between between its surrounding plaza and the ground the as plaza, The interior. building’s surface; accessible to all as part of Baku’s Design concept The design of the relationship fluid continuous, a establishes in Baku, aspiring instead to express the sensibilities of Azeri culture and the future. the to looks that nation a of optimism The Center, designed to become the primary the become to designed Center, The programs, cultural nation’s the for building monumental often and rigid the from breaks prevalent so is that architecture Soviet Architects was appointed as appointed was design architects of the Heydar Aliyev Center following a competition in 2007. developing developing Baku’s infrastructure architecture, departing and from its legacy of Modernism. Soviet normative coast of the Caspian Sea, was heavily heavily coast of the Caspian Sea, was influenced by the planning of that era. Since its independence in 1991, Azerbaijan has invested heavily in modernising and As part of the former Soviet Union, the Union, Soviet former the of part As urbanism and architecture of Baku, the Western capital of Azerbaijan on the Total floor area Total The Republic of The Republic

Cladded Doors MakinaRemak Works Gypsum Panel Tema SteelStructural MühendislikMIM Lighting Building Main SystemControl Elekon Enerji Sistemleri Works Epoxy NIS Epoksi Kaplama Sistemleri FixturesLighting Light Projects Group External Insulations Skin Structure+ InsaatLimit Procurement Design-build Landscape LED Installation HRN Dizayn Escalator Thyssen Group Concrete- Doors and Fire

te’s te’s topography and the Center’s

this context; unfolding the future cultural Azerbaijan.possibilities for to deflection,external loads, temperature loading. wind and activity seismic change, emphasize the continuous relationship To interior, and exterior building’s the between has Center Aliyev Heydar the of lighting the lighting The considered. carefully very been design strategy differentiates the day and night reading of the building. During the day, the building’s volume reflects light, appearance Center’s the altering constantly according to the time of day and viewing perspective. The use of semi-reflective glass gives tantalizing glimpses within, arousing curiosity without revealing the fluid trajectory of spaces inside. At night, this character is gradually transformed by means of lighting that washes from the interior onto the exterior surfaces, unfolding the formal reveal composition its content to and maintaining the fluidity between interior exterior. and evolved design Center’s Aliyev Heydar The from our investigations and research of si the role within its broader cultural landscape. By employing these articulate contextual within embedded is design the relationships, Sanset İkoor SeatsAuditorium Quinette FixturesLighting Zumtobel Special Acoustic Ceilings Baswa CeilingsInstallation of Astas Hall Multipurpose Façade Door Solarlux Polyurethane Floor Finish Bolidt ElevatorsInstallation of Kone Elevators + Ikma Marble Cladding Works Mermer Mühendisler MM a greater understanding of the project’s scale. They emphasize and impliedof its motion transformation the continual solution pragmatic a offering geometry, fluid as to practical construction issues such and transportation handling, manufacturing, concerns technical answering and assembly; such as accommodating movement due ExternalPanels Cladding Profile Arabian Cladding Skin Internal Lindner Wooden Auditorium Cladding

Fire Consultancy Fire Etik Acoustic Mezzo Stüdyo Geotechnical Engineering Enar Infrastructure Sigal Lighting MBLD Subcontractorsand manufacturers Steel Space Frame MERO SpaceInstallation of Frame MakinaBilim Formwork Doka Mechanical GMD Project Electrical Engineering HB Façade Sobek Werner

2 2

3,607— 2 3,936—total

39,000 m

2 70,000 over 22,000 m (GFRP) were chosen as ideal cladding the powerful for allow materials, as they plasticity of the building’s design while responding to very different functional situations: of variety a to related demands plaza, transitional zones and envelope. In this architectural composition, if the seams is the music, then the surface between the panels are carried out on the studies were Numerous the rhythm. surface geometry to rationalize the panels the throughout continuity maintaining while promote seams The landscape. and building building envelope to the East of the site. space frame system enabled the The structure and construction of a free-form saved significant timethroughout the while the substructure construction process, was developed to incorporate a flexible relationship between the rigid grid of the space frame and the free-formed exterior derived were seams These seams. cladding complex the rationalizing of process a from geometry, usage, and aesthetics of the project. Glass Fibre Reinforced Concrete Polyester Reinforced Fibre Glass and (GFRC) of two collaborating systems: a concrete structure combined with a space frame system. In order to achieve large-scale the visitor column-free spaces that allow to experience the fluidity of the interior, absorbed are elements structural vertical by the envelope and curtain wall system. The particular surface geometry fosters solutions, structural unconventional ‘boot of curved such as the introduction columns’ to achieve the inverse peel of the surface from the ground to the West of the building, tapering and the ‘dovetail’ support the beams that of the cantilever tender stage tender area 26,853 m Roof area ContractorMain and Architect of Record DiA Holding Consultants Structure Engineering Tuncel AKT Center principally consists Aliyev Heydar The Auditorium space frameAuditorium Members/4,513 17,269 Nodes surface spaceTotal frame area approx. 33,000 m Internal skin fixing plates Surface area of inner skin Metal deck roof purlins stage tender at total length 10,092 m Metal roof deck trays at

)

2 ) GRC 2

2

panels 13,000 (40,000 m reinforced Fiberglass concrete panels (10,000 m 3,150 panels reinforced Fiberglass panelpolyester production Max unique 70 panels per day space frameMuseum 12,569 Members / 3,266 Nodes Ceyhun BaskinCeyhun Widrig Daniel Murat Mutlu Special to thanks Charles Walker Site area 111,292 m capacityAuditorium 1,000 Unique fiberglass polyesterreinforced

participants. into the building’s envelope. Advanced computing allowed for the continuous of these and communication control project numerous the among complexities a broad range of construction logics and technical systems different functions, integrated and together brought be to had elements of the project was the architectural the was project the of elements development of the building’s skin. Our so continuous a surface ambition to achieve that it appears homogenous, required Geometry, structure, materiality structure, Geometry, One of the most critical yet challenging avoids additional excavation and landfill, and landfill, and excavation additional avoids disadvantage initial an converts successfully of the site into a key design feature. introduces a precisely terraced landscape terraced precisely a introduces connections that establishes alternative building, plaza, public between routes and and underground parking. This solution Responding to the topographic sheer drop drop sheer topographic the to Responding the project split the site in two, that formerly or a limiting adherence to the iconography iconography the to adherence limiting a or of the past, but rather a by developing firmly contemporaryreflecting a more nuanced understanding. interpretation, ground ground they inhabit. Our intention was to relate to that historical understanding of mimicry of use the through not architecture, ceilings to domes, establishing seamless relationships and blurring distinctions architectural elements and the between to infinity like trees in a forest, establishing forest, a in trees like infinity to non-hierarchical space. calligraphic and ornamental patterns flow Continuous from carpets to walls, walls to ceilings, Fluidity in architecture is not new to this Fluidity is not new in architecture region. In historical Islamic architecture, flow columns of sequences or grids, rows, Josef Glas Michael Grau Deepti Zachariah Yu Du Yu Tahmina Parvin Erhan Patat Mansour Fadi Bartolome Jaime Lillie Liu Lillie Lemos Jose FuchsSimone Ramon Jose Tramoyeres Phil Soo Kim Boles Marc Gin Yelda Muller Liat Deniz Manisali Project Team Sara Sheikh Akbari Shiqi Li Patrik Schumacher Patrik Project Designer/ Architect Saffet Kaya Bekiroglu Architect Zaha Hadid Architects Design Hadid Zaha

Zaha Hadid Architects Heydar Aliyev Center