Architecture

Zaha Hadid's Heydar Aliyev Center awarded Design of the Year prize

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The Heydar Aliyev Center in Baku, Azerbaijan (Photo: Hufton and Crow)
The Heydar Aliyev Center in Baku, Azerbaijan (Photo: Hufton and Crow)
The center won Zaha Hadid the London Design Museum's Design of the Year award (Photo: Hufton and Crow)
The building was completed in 2012 (Photo: Hufton and Crow)
The center sees the architect's trademark flowing curves used to great effect (Photo: Hufton and Crow)
Hadid drew deserved, if rather gushing praise from the judges, one of whom likened the building to Marilyn Monroe's skirt (Photo: Hufton and Crow)
The Heydar Aliyev Center comprises an auditorium, gallery hall, and museum (Photo: Hufton and Crow)
The building measures a total floorspace of 57,506 sq m (619,000 sq ft) (Photo: Hufton and Crow)
Hadid implemented a space frame system in order to achieve the building's sweeping shape and large interior fluid spaces without resorting to large structural columns (Photo: Hufton and Crow)
Its angle-shy form stands out in a city dominated by Soviet-era architecture (Photo: Hufton and Crow)
The Heydar Aliyev Center comprises an auditorium, gallery hall, and museum (Photo: Hufton and Crow)
The interior of the center (Photo: Hufton and Crow)
Photo taken during construction, in 2010 (Photo: Luke Hayes)
Photo taken during construction, in 2010 (Photo: Luke Hayes)
Photo taken during construction, in 2010 (Photo: Luke Hayes)
Photo taken during construction, in 2010 (Photo: Luke Hayes)
Photo taken during construction, in 2010 (Photo: Luke Hayes)
Photo taken during construction, in 2010 (Photo: Luke Hayes)
Photo taken during construction, in 2010 (Photo: Luke Hayes)
Photo taken during construction, in 2010 (Photo: Luke Hayes)
Photo taken during construction, in 2010 (Photo: Luke Hayes)
Photo taken during continued progress of construction, in 2011 (Photo: Helene Binet)
Photo taken during continued progress of construction, in 2011 (Photo: Helene Binet)
Photo taken during continued progress of construction, in 2011 (Photo: Helene Binet)
Photo taken during continued progress of construction, in 2011 (Photo: Helene Binet)
Photo taken during continued progress of construction, in 2011 (Photo: Helene Binet)
Photo taken during continued progress of construction, in 2011 (Photo: Helene Binet)
Photo taken during continued progress of construction, in 2011 (Photo: Helene Binet)
Photo taken during continued progress of construction, in 2011 (Photo: Helene Binet)
Photo taken during continued progress of construction, in 2011 (Photo: Helene Binet)
View gallery - 29 images

Iraqi-British architect Zaha Hadid has won the London Design Museum's Design of the Year award for her Heydar Aliyev Center in Baku, Azerbaijan. The architect beat over 70 other designs in the categories of Architecture, Digital, Fashion, Furniture, Graphics, Product and Transport – all of which can be seen at the Design Museum until August 25.

Previous winners in the competition's seven-year history include the London 2012 Olympic Torch, the Plumen lightbulb, and the British government’s GOV.UK website.

Hadid drew deserved, if rather gushing praise from the judges. "An intoxicatingly beautiful building by the most brilliant architect at the height of her office's powers," said Piers Gough of CZWG Architects. "It is as pure and sexy as Marilyn's blown skirt. Without an ounce of awkward argumentative modernism in its bones. It rather reads like a sweet love letter to Zaha's homelands."

Photo taken during continued progress of construction, in 2011 (Photo: Helene Binet)

Completed in 2012, the The Heydar Aliyev Center center sees Hadid's trademark flowing curves used to great effect. The center comprises an auditorium, gallery hall, and museum, over a total floorspace of 57,506 sq m (619,000 sq ft).

The architect implemented a space frame system in order to achieve the building's sweeping shape and large interior fluid spaces without requiring large structural columns, and its angle-shy form stands out even in a city renowned for its excellent architecture.

Taken on its own merits, it's a splendid building and represents a technical achievement too. However, the victory was greeted with a degree of controversy, partly on account of it being named after the country's former authoritarian leader, Heydar Aliyev.

In addition, as The Guardian reports, there have been widespread allegations of human rights violations at the site, including forced evictions, threats, and expropriations by the Azerbaijani government.

Sources: Zaha Hadid Architects, Designs of the Year

View gallery - 29 images
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5 comments
yrag
Yes, Zaha Hadid is the architect that critic most love to hate, but even though I'm a guy, I can't help but think some of this intense hostility is because she's a woman 'in a man's game'.
I don't love ALL of her work to be sure, but I do appreciate a lot of it, and I think this one is quite elegant.
Slowburn
curves a a serious pain to build. How much structural material did this require compared to a conventional building?
tigerprincess
Slowburn this is not a conventional building. It is not a box with a roof but a very pleasing to the eye structure that seems to have great function as well. Decades and maybe even centuries from now this will still be beautiful much like the Opera house in Sidney harbor.
Slowburn
@ tigerprincess Right and how much steel did the non-conventional shape cost. But is about as ugly as the Sidney Opera House.
buzzclick
Looks good from far but far from good? This is an incredibly expensive-to-build design. Lasting qualities? We'll see in 10 years.