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zaha hadid architects

Home Tag zaha hadid architects
zha to build new oppo telecommunications headquarters in shenzhen china.

zha to build new oppo telecommunications headquarters in shenzhen china.

Jan 20, 2020

following an international competition, zaha hadid architects (zha) has been selected to build oppo’s new headquarters in shenzhen, china.

oppo launched their first phone in 2008, growing to become china’s leading smartphone manufacturer and the fifth largest worldwide with over 40,000 employees in more than 40 countries. pioneering new communication technology in smart devices and internet services, oppo has established six research institutes, four research & development centers, and a global design studio. accommodating this growth, oppo’s new headquarters will continue their commitment to connectivity through design.

conceived as four interconnected towers design incorporates two towers of flexible, open-plan spaces linked by a 20-story vertical lobby, and two external service towers providing vertical circulation. orientated to maximize the views over shenzhen bay, the towers taper inwards at lower levels creating large civic spaces at street level.

locating the towers’ service cores externally frees the centre of each floor from obstructions; providing uninterrupted views throughout the building that will enhance interaction between employees.

large atrium spaces unite all occupants through visual connectivity, helping to foster collaboration between different departments of the company. the abundance of natural light, varied working environments and diversity of routes for staff and visitors to move through the building are all conducive to creative engagement and spontaneity.

developed as a new civic space for the city with a public walkway diagonally traversing its centre, oppo’s headquarters will include a landscaped plaza, art gallery, shops, restaurants and a direct link to the adjacent station of shenzhen’s subway network.

the 10th floor sky plaza will provide local residents, visitors and oppo employees with varied dining, leisure and entertainment facilities, while the rooftop sky lab will be a popular public space with spectacular views over one of the world’s most dynamic cities.

following leed gold certification of zha’s leeza soho tower in beijing and generali tower in milan, the new oppo headquarters has been designed to target leed gold from the us green building council; developed with 3d building information modeling and energy management systems to optimize efficiencies.

breaking ground later this year, oppo’s new headquarters is planned to complete in early 2025.

2020 > 2025
height of 650ft/200m (42 floors)
2 million sq. ft/185,000 sq. m
shenzhen, china

design competition shortlist:
zaha hadid architects (zha)
bjarke ingels group (big)
skidmore, owings & merrill (som)
rogers stirk harbour + partners (rshp)
henning larsen architects hk

zaha hadid associates opens airport with world’s largest airport terminal in beijing.

zaha hadid associates opens airport with world’s largest airport terminal in beijing.

Sep 26, 2019

beijing daxing international airport is a new airport in the daxing district 28/miles/46km south of the city center (20 minutes by express train).

developed to alleviate congestion at the capital’s existing airport, beijing daxing will be a major transport hub for the region with the world’s fastest growing demand for international travel and is fully integrated within the country’s expanding transport network.

initially serving 45 million passengers per year, the airport will accommodate 72 million travelers by 2025 and is planned for further expansion to serve up to 100 million passengers and 4 million tons of cargo annually.

beijing daxing’s 7.5 million square feet/700,000 square meters passenger terminal includes an 861,000 square feet/80,000 square meter ground transportation center offering direct connections to beijing, the national high-speed rail network and local train services, providing a catalyst for economic development in tianjin and hebei province.

[ zha official project description ] recently assigned the airport code ‘pkx’ by the international air transport association, beijing daxing sets a new standard in air transport services, serving the region’s growing population within a compact and efficient passenger terminal that is adaptable for future growth.

top > terminal hub / photo > nkchu // above> central courtyard / following photos courtesy of zha

echoing principles within traditional chinese architecture that organize interconnected spaces around a central courtyard, the terminal’s design guides all passengers seamlessly through the relevant departure, arrival or transfer zones towards the grand courtyard at its centre – a multi-layered meeting space at the heart of the terminal.

six flowing forms within the terminal’s vaulted roof reach to the ground to support the structure and bring natural light within, directing all passengers towards the central courtyard. natural light also enters the terminal via a network of linear skylights that provide an intuitive system of navigation throughout the building, guiding passengers to and from their departure gates.

structural spans of up to 100m create the terminal’s generous public spaces and allow the highest degree of flexibility for any future reconfiguration.

the compact radial design of the terminal allows a maximum number of aircraft to be parked directly at the terminal with minimum distances from the centre of the building, providing exceptional convenience for passengers and flexibility in operations. 79 gates with airbridges connect directly to the terminal which can rapidly process the passengers of six full a380 aircraft simultaneously.

five aircraft piers radiate directly from the terminal’s main central court where all passenger services and amenities are located, enabling passengers to walk the comparatively short distances through the airport without the need for automated shuttle trains. as a result, the terminal’s compact design minimizes distances between check-in and gate, as well as connections between gates for transferring passengers. this radial configuration ensures the farthest boarding gate can be accessed in a walking time of less than 8 minutes.

photovoltaic power generation is installed throughout the airport to provide a minimum capacity of at least 10mw. beijing daxing’s centralized heating with waste heat recovery is supported by a composite ground-source heat pump system incorporating a concentrated energy supply area of nearly 2.5 million m2.

the airport also implements rainwater collection and a water management system that employs the natural storage, natural permeation and natural purification of up to 2.8 million cubic meters of water in new wetlands, lakes and streams to prevent flooding and counter the summer ‘heat island’ effect on the local microclimate.

[ project credits ]
client > beijing new airport construction headquarters
architects/joint design team > zaha hadid architects (zha) and adp ingeniérie (adpi)
design (zha) > zaha hadid, patrik schumacher
project directors (zha) > cristiano ceccato, charles walker, mouzhan majidi
project design director (zha) > paulo flores
project architect (zha) > lydia kim
project coordination (zha) > eugene leung, shao-wei huang
project team (zha) > uli blum, antonio monserrat, alberto moletto, sophie davison, carolina lopez-blanco, shaun farrell, junyi wang, ermis chalvatzis, rafael contreras, michael grau, fernando poucell, gerry cruz, filipa gomez, kyla farrell, natassa lianou, teoman ayas, peter logan, yun zhang, karoly markos, irene guerra
beijing team (zha) > satoshi ohashi, rita lee, yang jingwen, lillie liu, juan liu
local design institutes > biad (beijing institute of architecture & design) + cacc (china airport construction company)
consortium team (competition stage) > pascall + watson, burohappold engineering, mott macdonald, ec harris consultants, mckinsey & company, dunnett craven, triagonal, logplan, sensing places, spada

[ consultants ]
security system + baggage systems design > china ippr international engineering co
information and weak power systems design > china electronics engineering design institute + civil aviation electronic technology co
high speed rail design > the third rail survey and design institute group corporation
subway design > beijing city construction design research general institute co
viaduct/bridge design > beijing general municipal engineering design & research institute co
fire performance design > arup
public art > central academy of fine arts
green technology > beijing tsinghua tongheng urban planning and design institute
bim design > dtree ltd.
architecture facade > xinshan curtainwall + beijing institute of architectural design (group) co –complex structure division
metro system > lea+elliott
lighting > gala lighting design studio
identification/signage system > east sign design & engineering co
landscape > beijing institute of architectural design (biad) landscape design division

charlotte olympia launches limited edition collaboration with zaha hadid design.

charlotte olympia launches limited edition collaboration with zaha hadid design.

Nov 21, 2017

in tribute to the late visionary zaha hadid, charlotte olympia launches two limited edition pieces, a platform wedge shoe and a clutch bag, both featuring fluid forms in perspex with rose gold metal accents. in conjunction to these, special packaging was created to echo the sculptural qualities of the designs.

combining the unmistakeable design language of the renowned architect with the creative hallmarks of the british luxury shoe and accessories brand, the partnership began when zaha and charlotte first met in 2015 and agreed to collaborate on a collection. zaha hadid design and charlotte olympia have meticulously realised these pieces as zaha originally envisioned.

launching on 21st november, the two pieces will be available exclusively at charlotte olympia retail stores and online, priced at £1,600 for the shoes and £2,600 for the clutch bag. to mark the occasion, a reception will take place at christie’s on the day of launch with charlotte olympia dellal taking part in a panel discussion. charlotte will also be at the brompton cross store on 22nd november to sign the purchased limited edition designs.

“zaha hadid was a phenomenal person to have known and her work and aesthetic are constant sources of inspiration for me. it was an honor and privilege to have worked with her and to continue working with her fantastic team on this dream collaboration.”
charlotte olympia dellal, founder and creative director of charlotte olympia

“we are always delighted to work with clients who share our passion for bold design and pristine craftsmanship. charlotte olympia and her team have masterfully translated our ideas into reality in two fantastic pieces of superb quality.”
maha kutay, director of zaha hadid design

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zaha hadid’s unfinished projects set to open in 2016.

zaha hadid’s unfinished projects set to open in 2016.

Apr 6, 2016

the sudden death of pritzker prize-winning architect zaha hadid rocked architecture. though her successes and failures were exposed on almost a weekly basis, this news caused pause, an assurance, that indeed the world endured a loss. whatever your opinion, hadid’s signature pieces will keep her ethos and spirit alive. her firm, zha, has 36 projects in 21 countries under construction or in detailed design development. here are four awaited projects that are scheduled to be completed in 2016.

above / below> king abdullah petroleum studies and research center | rijadh, saudi arabia
the vision is a center focused on technical and environmental concern endeavors. the organic form enables expansion and transformation. a strong protective outer shell concealing soft, porous sheltered courtyards within.

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zha16-abdullah2

zha16-abdullah3

below> port house | antwerp, belgium
the port house combines a new beam-shaped structure and a former fire brigade building into a new headquarters for the port authority. the articulated glass walls – some transparent, others reflective – in reference to the antwerp diamond trade.

zha16-hansa1

zha16-hansa2

below> salerno maritime terminal | salerno, italy
the terminal resembles the oyster – its hard shell enclosing soft, fluid elements within. key focal points – ticket desks, restaurant, waiting room – steer passengers from ground level to upper deck. by night, the ‘glow’ of the terminal functions almost like a lighthouse.

zha16-maritime-terminal1

zha16-terminal3<

zha16-terminal4

below> mathematics gallery science museum | london
the gallery explores the many influences of mathematics in our daily lives. the gallery’s design and layout is defined by mathematical equations that determine the three-dimensional curved surfaces representing the patterns of airflow that would have streamed around an historic 1929 aircraft at the center of the exhibition.

zha16-mathmatics2

zha16-mathmatics1

[ zha ]

zaha hadid. 1950 > 2016

zaha hadid. 1950 > 2016

Mar 31, 2016

sad news this morning from zaha hadid architects… / portrait bridgette lacombe

it is with great sadness that zaha hadid architects have confirmed that dame zaha hadid, dbe died suddenly in miami in the early hours of this morning. she had contracted bronchitis earlier this week and suffered a sudden heart attack while being treated in hospital.

zaha hadid was widely regarded to be the greatest female architect in the world today. born in baghdad in 1950, she studied mathematics at the american university of beirut before starting her architectural journey in 1972 at the architectural association in london.

by 1979 she had established her own practice in london – zaha hadid architects – garnering a reputation across the world for her ground-breaking theoretical works including the peak in hong kong (1983), the kurfürstendamm in berlin (1986) and the cardiff bay opera house in wales (1994).

working with office partner patrik schumacher, her interest was in the interface between architecture, landscape, and geology; which her practice integrates with the use of innovative technologies often resulting in unexpected and dynamic architectural forms.

zaha hadid’s first major built commission, one that affirmed her international recognition, was the vitra fire station in weil am rhein, germany (1993); subsequent notable projects including the maxxi: italian national museum of 21st century arts in rome (2009), the london aquatics centre for the 2012 olympic games (2011) and the heydar aliyev centre in baku (2013) illustrate her quest for complex, fluid space. buildings such as the rosenthal center for contemporary art in cincinnati (2003) and the guangzhou opera house in china (2010) have also been hailed as architecture that transforms our ideas of the future with visionary spatial concepts defined by advanced design, material and construction processes.

in 2004, zaha hadid became the first woman to be awarded the pritzker architecture prize. she twice won the uk’s most prestigious architecture award, the riba stirling prize: in 2010 for the maxxi museum in rome, a building for the staging of 21st century art, the distillation of years of experimentation, a mature piece of architecture conveying a calmness that belies the complexities of its form and organisation; and the evelyn grace academy, a unique design, expertly inserted into an extremely tight site, that shows the students, staff and local residents they are valued and celebrates the school’s specialism throughout its fabric, with views of student participation at every turn.

zaha hadid’s other awards included the republic of france’s commandeur de l’ordre des arts et des lettres, japan’s praemium imperiale and in 2012, zaha hadid was made a dame commander of the order of the british empire. she was made honorary member of the american academy of arts and letters and fellow of the american institute of architecture.

she held various academic roles including the kenzo tange chair at the graduate school of design, harvard university; the sullivan chair at the university of illinois, school of architecture. hadid also taught studios at columbia university, yale university and the university of applied arts in vienna.

zaha hadid was recently awarded the riba’s 2016 royal gold medal, the first woman to be awarded the prestigious honour in her own right. sir peter cook wrote the following citation:

“in our current culture of ticking every box, surely zaha hadid succeeds, since (to quote the royal gold medal criteria) she is someone “who has made a significant contribution to the theory or practice of architecture…. for a substantial body of work rather than for work which is currently fashionable.” indeed her work, though full of form, style and unstoppable mannerism, possesses a quality that some of us might refer to as an impeccable ‘eye’: which we would claim is a fundamental in the consideration of special architecture and is rarely satisfied by mere ‘fashion’.

and surely her work is special. for three decades now, she has ventured where few would dare: if paul klee took a line for a walk, then zaha took the surfaces that were driven by that line out for a virtual dance and then deftly folded them over and then took them out for a journey into space. in her earlier, ‘spiky’ period there was already a sense of vigour that she shared with her admired russian suprematists and constructivists – attempting with them to capture that elusive dynamic of movement at the end of the machine age.

necessarily having to disperse effort through a studio production, rather than being a lone artist, she cottoned–on to the potential of the computer to turn space upon itself. indeed there is an urban myth that suggests that the very early apple mac ‘boxes’ were still crude enough to plot the mathematically unlikely – and so zaha with her mathematics background seized upon this and made those flying machine projections of the hong kong peak project and the like. meanwhile, with paintings and special small drawings zaha continued to lead from the front. she has also been smart enough to pull in some formidable computational talent without being phased by its ways.

thus the evolution of the ‘flowing’ rather than spikey architecture crept up upon us in stages, as did the scale of her commissions, but in most cases, they remained clear in identity and control. when you entered the fire station at vitra, you were conscious of being inside one of those early drawings and yes, it could be done. yet at perhaps its highest, those of us lucky enough to see the heydar aliyev center in baku in the flesh, can surely never have been in such a dream-like space, with its totality, its enormous internal ramp and dart-like lights seeming to have come from a vocabulary that lies so far beyond the normal architecture that we assess or rationalize.

so we are presenting her with this medal as a british institution: and as a dame commander of the order of the british empire: thus she might seem to be a member of our british establishment. yet in reality, many of our chattering classes and not a few fellow architects have treated her with characteristic faint praise, and when she heroically won the cardiff opera house competition, blocking the scheme. or when we awarded her the riba stirling prize for the school in south london – her second win in a row – we, the jury, were loudly derided by a number of distinguished architects. of course, in our culture of circumspection and modesty her work is certainly not modest, and she herself is the opposite of modest. indeed her vociferous criticism of poor work or stupidity recalls the line-side comments of the tennis player john mcenroe. yet this is surely characteristic of the seriousness with which she takes the whole business: sloppiness and waywardness pain her and she cannot play the comfy british game of platitudinous waffle that is the preferred cushion adopted by many people of achievement or power. her methods and perhaps much of her psychology remain mesopotamian and not a little scary: but certainly clear.

as a result, it is perhaps a little lonely there up at the top, surrounded now by some very considerable talent in the office, but feared somewhat and distanced from the young. yet in private zaha is gossipy and amusing, genuinely interested in the work of talented colleagues who do very different architecture such as steven holl, and she was the first to bring to london talent such as lebbeus woods or stanley saiotowitz. she is exceptionally loyal to her old friends: many of whom came from the alvin boyarsky period of the architectural association: which seems to remain as her comfort zone and golden period of friendship. encouraged and promoted at an early age by boyarsky, she has rewarded the aa with an unremitting loyalty and fondness for it.

the history of the gold medal must surely include many major figures who commanded a big ship and one ponders upon the operation involved that gets such strong concepts as the maxxi in rome – in which the power of organization is so clear – or the bergisel ski jump in innsbruck where dynamic is at last captured – or the aquatics centre for the london olympics where the lines diving boards were as fluid as the motion of the divers – made into reality. and she has done it time and time again in vienna, marseilles, beijing and guangzhou. never has she been so prolific, so consistent. we realize that kenzo tange and frank lloyd wright could not have drawn every line or checked every joint, yet zaha shares with them the precious role of towering, distinctive and relentless influence upon all around her that sets the results apart from the norm. such self-confidence is easily accepted in film-makers and football managers, but causes some architects to feel uncomfortable, maybe they’re secretly jealous of her unquestionable talent. let’s face it, we might have awarded the medal to a worthy, comfortable character. we didn’t, we awarded it to zaha: larger than life, bold as brass and certainly on the case.

our heroine.

how lucky we are to have her in london.”

details of zaha hadid’s memorial service will be announced shortly.

zaha hadid alleges collusion against japanese government and architects over tokyo national stadium.

zaha hadid alleges collusion against japanese government and architects over tokyo national stadium.

Dec 22, 2015

zha-headshot-stadium1

responding to the winning proposal to design the tokyo national stadium, zaha hadid, who’s design won the juried international competition over two years, accuses the japanese government and local architects of collusion over tokyo national stadium.

[official zha statement] “we were honoured to be selected to design a stadium that would enable japan to welcome the world for the 2019 rugby world cup and bring the 2020 olympic games to tokyo, before becoming a new home for japanese sport for many future generations.

“sadly the japanese authorities, with the support of some of those from our own profession in japan, have colluded to close the doors on the project to the world.

“this shocking treatment of an international design and engineering team, as well as the respected japanese design companies with whom we worked, was not about design or budget. in fact much of our two years of detailed design work and the cost savings we recommended have been validated by the remarkable similarities of our original detailed stadium layout and our seating bowl configuration with those of the design announced today.

“work would already be underway building the stadium if the original design team had simply been able to develop this original design, avoiding the increased costs of an 18 month delay and risk that it may not be ready in time for the 2020 games.”

zaha hadid

zha-stadium-kuma1

above/below> kengo kuma’s winning concept incorporates the surrounding trees of the jingu shrine to create a stadium of wood and greenery. the roofing is a hybrid structure that uses wood and steel. the plan is for a stadium that cooperates with the surrounding environment and utilizes the latest technology to create a modern interpretation regarding japan’s climate, culture and tradition.

zha-stadium-kuma2

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above/below> what defines toyo ito’s runner-up concept is it’s unique and feathery undulating roof and the 72 wooden pillars. the weight-bearing pillars are symbolic of japan’s tradition of building pillars to honor festivities and also reference japan’s 72 micro-seasons.

zha-stadium-ito2

in the end, this project inspired two concepts, one a swank sculptural landmark that connects to the future, the other, a frugal nod to tradition that integrates with an everyday present.

somewhere in the research of this article, it was said that the track surface for kuma’s proposal will not pass olympic standards and the national stadium as is can accommodate the 2019 rugby world cup but not the 2020 olympics. but this is not confirmed.

so, each concept is not without controversy, the first led by credible rival local architects, two of whom were the winner and runner-up for the project. and both the runner-up and winner raise comments from even advocates that this is not their best efforts, suggesting a committee designed solution.

zaha does make a case for collusion with the following statement:

zaha hadid architects with arup sports won the international competition to design the new national stadium in 2012. the design was successfully used by tokyo in 2013 when bidding for the 2020 olympic and paralympic games.

zha and arup sports have been collaborating on the design with the sekkei joint venture that includes four of the largest design consultants in japan led by nikken sekkei.

the team selected in the new, restricted, competition includes azusa sekkei, who were part of the zha supervised original design team and focussed specifically on the seating bowl, and also one of the original contractors, taisei. taisei were contracted to deliver the ‘sunken bowl’ of the original zha/arup design (seating, access strategy, etc) and, along with azusa, had access to all of the detailed drawings, plans and work carried out over 2 years by the original design team.

this includes access to the detailed cost savings proposed (and associated design work) by the zha/arup sport including: reducing permanent capacity to 68k with temporary seats used to reach 80k; removing the retractable roof; removing air-conditioning from under each of the seats; removing the public walkway and viewing points around the venue,removing the permanent running track and removing the non-stadium functions such a convention centre, museum and gym. when zha proposed these changes they were rejected by the client and the team was eventually instructed to cease proposing cost-saving solutions. however, all these cost-saving solutions were adopted in the brief of the new competition.

zha wrote to the client on 21 august 2015 stressing that all the design work to date was the intellectual property of zha.

[ in-depth analysis of original zha stadium ]

zaha hadid announced as 2016 royal gold medal winner.

zaha hadid announced as 2016 royal gold medal winner.

Sep 27, 2015

above> zaha hadid | photo steve double

British architect Zaha Hadid is the first woman to earn in her own right the Royal Gold Medal for architecture. The medal, approved by the Queen and awarded by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), has been the harborage of men since 1848, although women have shared the prize with others on a handful of occasions. Previous winners include IM Pei (2010), Frank Gehry (2000), Norman Foster (1983), Ludwig Mies van der Rohe (1959), Le Corbusier (1953), Eliel Saarinen (1950), Frank Lloyd Wright (1941) and George Gilbert Scott (1859)

Zaha Hadid is internationally known for her built, theoretical and academic work. Each of her dynamic and innovative projects builds on over thirty years of revolutionary experimentation and research in the fields of architecture, design and urbanism.

phaeno science centre | photo werner huthmacher

RIBA President and chair of the selection committee, Jane Duncan, said: “Zaha Hadid is a formidable and globally-influential force in architecture. Highly experimental, rigorous and exacting, her work from buildings to furniture, footwear and cars, is quite rightly revered and desired by brands and people all around the world. I am delighted Zaha will be awarded the Royal Gold Medal in 2016 and can’t wait to see what she and her practice will do next.”

Zaha Hadid said: “I am very proud to be awarded the Royal Gold Medal, in particular, to be the first woman to receive the honour in her own right. I would like to thank Peter Cook, Louisa Hutton and David Chipperfield for the nomination and Jane Duncan and the Honours Committee for their support. We now see more established female architects all the time. That doesn’t mean it’s easy. Sometimes the challenges are immense. There has been tremendous change over recent years and we will continue this progress. This recognition is an honour for me and my practice, but equally, for all our clients. It is always exciting to collaborate with those who have great civic pride and vision. Part of architecture’s job is to make people feel good in the spaces where we live, go to school or where we work – so we must be committed to raising standards. Housing, schools and other vital public buildings have always been based on the concept of minimal existence – that shouldn’t be the case today. Architects now have the skills and tools to address these critical issues.”

serpentine sackler gallery | photo luke hayes

serpentine sackler gallery | photo luke hayes

Born in Baghdad in 1950, Zaha Hadid started her architectural journey in 1972 studying at the progressive Architectural Association in London. She joined her former professors, Rem Koolhaas and Elia Zenghelis, at the Office for Metropolitan Architecture in Rotterdam, where she became a partner in 1977. By 1979 she had established her own practice in London – Zaha Hadid Architects – garnering a reputation across the world for her trail-blazing theoretical works including The Peak in Hong Kong (1983), the Kurfürstendamm in Berlin (1986) and the Cardiff Bay Opera House in Wales (1994).

Working with office partner Patrik Schumacher, Hadid’s interest is in the interface between architecture, landscape, and geology; which her practice integrates with the use of cutting-edge technologies – the result is often unexpected and dynamic architectural forms.

Hadid’s first major built commission, one that catapulted her rise, was the Vitra Fire Station in Weil Am Rhein, Germany (1993); subsequent notable projects including the MAXXI: Italian National Museum of 21st Century Arts in Rome (2009), the London Aquatics Centre for the 2012 Olympic Games (2011) and the Heydar Aliyev Centre in Baku (2013) illustrate her quest for complex, fluid space. Buildings such as the Rosenthal Center for Contemporary Art in Cincinnati (2003) and the Guangzhou Opera House in China (2010) have also been hailed as architecture that transforms our ideas of the future with new spatial concepts and dynamic, visionary forms.

 

pierresvives | montpllier | photo helene binet

pierresvives | montpllier | photo helene binet

In 2004 Zaha Hadid became the first woman to be awarded the Pritzker Architecture Prize. She has twice won the UK’s most prestigious architecture award, the RIBA Stirling Prize: in 2010 for the MAXXI Museum in Rome, a building for the staging of 21st Century art, the distillation of years of experimentation, a mature piece of architecture conveying a calmness that belies the complexities of its form and organisation; and the Evelyn Grace Academy, a unique design, expertly inserted into an extremely tight site, that shows the students, staff and local residents they are valued and celebrates the school’s specialism throughout its fabric, with views of student participation at every turn.

Zaha Hadid’s other awards include the Republic of France’s Commandeur de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, Japan’s Praemium Imperiale and in 2012, Zaha Hadid was made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire. She was made Honorary Member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters and Fellow of the American Institute of Architecture.

Zaha has held various adademic roles including the Kenzo Tange Chair at the Graduate School of Design, Harvard University; the Sullivan Chair at the University of Illinois, School of Architecture; guest professorships at the Hochschule für Bildende Künste in Hamburg; the Knolton School of Architecture, Ohio and the Masters Studio at Columbia University, New York; the Eero Saarinen Visiting Professor of Architectural Design at Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut and the University of Applied Arts in Vienna.

The Royal Medal comes at a good time for Hadid. In July 2015, her proposed National Stadium for the 2020 Games in Tokyo was renounced by the Japanese government at the 11 1/2 hour. We’re also reminded of a similar fate for the Cardiff Bay Opera House, Cardiff, Wales, 1995. Of interested she won both design competitions for these projects. However, virtue was rewarded in 2010. Using the designs for the Cardiff Bay Opera House on the Guangzhou Opera House, the opera house is now credited with transforming a Chinese city with a population more than four times the size of Wales into a cultural capital. [ zha ]

video presentation & report – new national stadium tokyo. zaha hadid architects.

video presentation & report – new national stadium tokyo. zaha hadid architects.

Aug 26, 2015

In November of 2012 Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA) is selected from 46 submissions by the jury of architects and experts as the winner of the international completion for a New National Stadium for Japan. The venue is to last the next 50-100 years and that it would host the 2019 Rugby World Cup as its first event, then the Tokyo Olympics-Paralympics if Tokyo was awarded the 2020 Games.

This past July 2015 the National Stadium and ZHA experienced many new announcements, as you might expect, including: The New National Stadium Advisory Committee ministers approving the design and budget of the stadium; Prime Minister Abe announcing his commitment to building the stadium designed by ZHA; The Japanese Government deciding to scrap everything and start over.

The original stadium proposal is both admired and polarizing. The noise generated by architectural notables is worth noting: Tadao Ando, a 1995 Pritzker winner, chairman of the competition selection panel said of the winner: “The entry’s dynamic and futuristic design embodies the messages Japan would like to convey to the rest of the world.” He added: “I believe this stadium will become a shrine for world sport for the next 100 years.”

But there are equally notable detractors, 2013 Pritzker winner Toyo Ito and prominent Japanese architect Arata Isozaki saying it reminded him of a turtle. Another likened the proposal to another kind of animal.

“Why do we need this white elephant?” said Fumihiko Maki, a 1993 Pritzker winner. “Tokyo is not a zoo.”

There was additional noise that the winner of the National Stadium was not from Japan. But the finalists were in fact well-vetted: The Japan Sport Council, owner of the Kasumigaoka National Stadium, selected a total of 11 out of the 46 entries for the international design competition to update and remodel the venue in preparation for Tokyo’s Olympic and Paralympic Bid and the IRB 2019 Rugby World Cup. The 11 finalists were renown offices from Australia (1), France (1), Germany (1), Great britain (2), Japan (4), Netherlands (1), and Turkey (1).

Arguably, a most compelling bad vibe was the estimated 2020 finished product $2 billion price tag, supposedly even after a redesign in 2014 by ZHA.

The Tokyo stadium faces another challenge: It must avoid becoming an economic burden by carving out a life as a sports resource long after closing ceremonies. The most recent example is the London Aquatics Centre for the 2012 London Olympics. On 1 March 2014, the centre was opened to the public. Architect of record: ZHA.

ZHA_New National Stadium (010)


So here we are today in late August 2015, with ZHA submitting a thorough revisiting of the project brief, which correctly asks for an 80,000 seat solution to sit on a tight parcel of urban real estate. The architect affirms the price-tag problem is not the design but the non-competitive bidding process and inflationary economy that is Japan at this point in time.

ZHA_New National Stadium (11)


Admittedly, I had concerns with this concept in this venue at first glance. Will the stadium encroach on the nearby historic Meiji Shrine, built in central Tokyo in the early 20th century to commemorate Emperor Meiji. The arena will occupy part of the shrine’s outer gardens, which preservationists say leaving no breathing space and raising traffic and safety concerns.

ZHA_New National Stadium (08)

ZHA_New National Stadium (01)

ZHA-stadium-siteplan2

above> the original national stadium that hosted the 1964 olympics is the oval in the red plot – seating capacity 55,000. below> the new seating bowl with and w/o roof exoskeleton – seating 80,000.

ZHA_stadium-siteplan1

Let’s consider everyone craving an efficient and smart solution, which in fact may be sitting dead center right in front of them. The concept sketches draw much more attention to the building than what will really be. And the façade where the structure is not only expressed but inhabited. A series of diagonal stairways and elevated walkways are developed into the envelope of the stadium that function as a stadium on event days and other days it’s an extension of the pedestrian landscape of the Gainen area, allowing extended walks and elevated views over Tokyo.

ZHA_New National Stadium (06)

above> a pedestrian landscape of the Gainen area, allowing extended walks and elevated views over Tokyo. below> carving out a life as a destination for many interests, a rock concert for example, long after closing ceremonies.

ZHA_New National Stadium (Concert)

Hence, the more I understand the proposed solution, understand the considerable change the new speaks to the old, there is much more right than wrong. The proposal is worth another look.

Lest we forget, the brief also asks for a 50-plus-year lifespan at minimum. Who can’t envision the future landscape shift around this building – because of this building. We’ve learned the new and significant speaks to future ambitions.

Official ZHA Statement> [ zha / new national stadium report august 201 ] outline in detail the unique design for the New National Stadium which has been developed over two years to be the most compact and efficient stadium for this very special location in Tokyo. Zaha Hadid Architects welcomes a new contractor bidding process for the New National Stadium to reduce costs and ensure value for money in terms of quality, durability and long-term sustainability.

Designed by Zaha Hadid Architects and our Japanese partners, the New National Stadium contains all the knowledge and expertise gained from the team’s direct experience of other Olympic, World Cup and World Championship stadia. The substantial investment in time, effort and resources already made by the Government and people of Japan into the existing team over the past two years ensures the New National Stadium can be completed in time to welcome the world to Japan in 2019 ahead of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games, and become a new home for sport for many future generations of Japan’s athletes, sportsmen and women.

[ prologue ]
September 2011> Tokyo submits their bid for the 2020 Olympic Games. Istanbul, Madrid and Tokyo are later shortlisted.

November 2012> Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA) was selected from 46 submissions by the jury of architects and experts as the winner of the international competition for a New National Stadium for Japan to last the next 50-100 years and that would host the 2019 Rugby World Cup as its first event, then the Tokyo Olympics-Paralympics if Tokyo was awarded the 2020 Games.

September 2013> International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced Tokyo as the host city of the 2020 Olympic Games.

June 2014> ZHA submits a redesign responding to new budgetary restraints. The modifications include downsizing (the 80,000 seat capacity remained the same), a lower profile and lighter and sustainable materials.

Spring 2015> The old stadium which hosted the 1964 Olympic Games was demolished. (Surveys of the old stadium had found the original 1958 structure in considerable disrepair. Simply to meet current seismic and safety codes would have required an investment of at 100 billion yen alone. Further investment was also required for improvements to the facilities for athletes, spectator sight-lines and amenities, and to increase capacity from 55,000 to 80,000.)

7 July 2015> The New National Stadium Advisory Committee ministers approves the design and budget of the stadium.

10 July 2015> Prime Minister Abe announced his commitment to building the stadium design by ZHA.

17 July 2015> The Japanese Government decides to go back to the start on the New National Stadium.

25 August 2015> ZHA / New National Stadium Report August 2015 is submitted.

[ new national stadium video presentation ] [ zha / new national stadium report august 201 ]

danjiang bridge – asymmetrical bridge for taipei by zaha hadid architects.

danjiang bridge – asymmetrical bridge for taipei by zaha hadid architects.

Aug 14, 2015

Zaha Hadid Architects, working with Leonhardt, Andrä & Partner and Sinotech Engineering Consultants, have won the international competition to design the new Danjiang Bridge in Taipei for the Directorate General of Highways, Taiwan, R.O.C.

Located at the mouth of Tamsui River that flows through the capital Taipei, the Danjiang Bridge is integral to the infrastructure upgrading program of northern Taiwan. The bridge increases connectivity between neighborhoods and reduces through-traffic on local roads within local town centers and from the congested Guandu Bridge upriver. The bridge also improves the northern coast traffic system enhancing accessibility throughout the region with the rapidly expanding Port of Taipei/Taipei Harbor, the region’s busiest shipping port.

The Danjiang Bridge also allows for the extension of Danhai Light Rail Transportation (DHLRT) system over the Tamsui River to connect the town of Bali and the Port/Harbor with Taipei’s public rail network.

The Tamsui River estuary is a natural environment flanked by the urban centers of Tamsui to the East and Bali to the west. The estuary is rapidly growing in popularity with both residents and tourists as a recreational area where people gather each day to watch the sun setting over the Taiwan Strait.

The cable-stayed bridge design minimizes its visual impact by using only one concrete structural mast to support the 920m (3,018 ft) road, rail and pedestrian deck made from steel. The bridge will be the world’s longest single-tower, asymmetric cable-stayed bridge.

The mast is designed and engineered to be as slender as possible and positioned to offer the best structural performance, avoid impeding the navigability of the river and also minimize any interference with the views of the sunset from popular viewing points along the river. This single-mast design also minimizes structural elements in the riverbed in accordance with the increased protection programs of the estuary’s ecosystems.

CECI and Nippon Engineering Consultants placed second; Aecom Asia and Resources Engineering Services placed third, MAA Group and Cowi placed fourth, with Oriental Consultants with Pacific Engineers & Constructors and Pyunghwa Engineering Consultants and Pacific Consultants with Taiwan Engineering Consultants and Yuang Engineering Consultants placing joint fifth. Well done.


7 cool architects for fritz hansen.

7 cool architects for fritz hansen.

Aug 8, 2015

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60 years ago Arne Jacobsen designed the Series 7.

The cooperation between Arne Jacobsen and Fritz Hansen dates back to 1934. But in 1952 the break-through came with the Ant. It was succeeded by the Series 7 in 1955. This propelled his and Fritz Hansen‘s names into furniture history.

Series 7, more specifically the Model 3107 Chair, was very unlike his other designs in that he did not design ‘7’ for one specific project – like he did with the Ant chair to the canteen of Novo Nordisk in Denmark or the Oxford chair to St Cathrine’s College in Oxford, United Kingdom. With this open-endedness pedigree Fritz Hansen conceives asking 7 cool architects to give their architectural and personal take on the Series 7. The architects are Bjarke Ingels Group, Carlos Ott & Carlos Ponce de León, Jean Nouvel Design, Jun Igarashi, Neri & Hu, Snøhetta and Zaha Hadid Architects.

series7-big4
above/below> Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) – Copenhagen and New York – inspiration and idea came from the production of the chair.

series7-big2

series7-ott2
above/below> Carlos Ott Architects / Carlos Ponce de León Architects – Montevideo – inspiration and idea cames from seven-story Celebra designed by the architects and where the chair could reside, a restaurant in the building located in an open-roof basement which has a vertical garden wall.

series7-ott-1

series7-jnouvel2
above/below> Jean Nouvel Design – Paris – inspiration and idea reflects design elements seen in many solutions, i.e., how apparently opposite or contrary forces are actually complementary, interconnected, and interdependent in the natural world.

series7-jnouvel1

series7-nh2
above/below> neri&hu – Shanghai – inspiration and idea comes from a 1930s Army headquarters building they repurposed into the boutique hotel The Waterhouse. The idea of a replica, a double, a variation, a re-edition hinges on the duality between the original and the re-design. Their take on this project is to embrace this exact idea of duality and create an actual “double”. A singular chair multiplied as the individual becomes a community.

series7-nh1

series7-snohetta1
above/below> Snøhetta – innsbruck | new york | oslo | san francisco inspiration and idea comes from an idea to make the chair more of a social tool. The wood is a representation of softness in contrast to metal. A legless construction is free and indeterminate. It is versatile and simple. And maybe it can be a symbol for social interaction and playfulness? If we add even more softness to it we might be able to create a new user experience – additional functionality.

video courtesy of fritz hansen

series7-zaha3
above/below> Zaha Hadid Architects – London – inspiration and idea comes from natural and fluid forms, expressive of innate structural forces, informed the design for this bespoke chair. Similar to how other projects designed by Zaha Hadid Architects address and mediate between an existing context and a new formulation of space, the provision for this chair was to create a harmonic transition from the existing shell and how it can effortlessly touch down on the ground.

series7-zaha1

This project is not the first time the Series 7 chair has been given a new look. In 2009, Fritz Hansen collaborated with designers Arik Levy, Autoban, Fabio Novembre, Jaime Hayon, Maarten Baas, Nendo and Sebastian Bergne to release the chair in seven new colors.

An exhibition will travel around the world from London to Tokyo featuring the designs by the 7 cool architects. First up is September’s London Design Festival 2015.

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