zaha hadid heydar aliyev centre Flashcards
year
2012
who was the centre named after AND SIGNIFICANCE OF THE NAME
centre named by first president of independent Azerbaijan, heydar aliyev
after azerbaijan declared independence he became a moderate nationalist and was elected president
SIGNIFICANCE OF THE NAME
The name and legacy expresses the identity of its patron, the state of Azerbaijan, and its first President, while it also legitimises the presidency of the present day President Ilham Aliyev (son of Heydar Aliyev).
It is therefore both symbolic of the new global forward-looking, modernised state and outright propaganda.
WHAT WERE THE AIMS FOR THIS COMMISSION
To break with the geometrical modernism of Soviet era architecture of the period 1920-1989 and to engage instead with past Azeri culture.
As an optimistic symbol of growth with the new republic’s oil money being invested in signature buildings.
As a monument to a controversial first family, a region, and an emergent national culture in a newly independent country
who was the patron
state of azerbaijan and heydar aliyev
who was heydar aliyev
Heydar was First Secretary of Soviet Azerbaijan from 1968-87, until he fell out with Gorbachev.
After modern secular Azerbaijan declared independence in 1991 he reinvented himself as a moderate nationalist and was eventually elected President of the new independent state from 1993-2003.
qhat do some liken the zig zag approach to
Some have likened the building’s zig-zag approach to the signature of Heydar Aliyev:
how was there controversy within heydar aliyevs family
his sons presidency was a dictatorship
formal elements
curvilinear (mimics biomorphic forms)
zig ziag on right shows symbolism of calligraphy and turban
interior
CARVACEOUS FORMS
The interior continues these curvaceous, flowing forms as the curve of the ceiling flows to the curved walls to join the stairs of the centre
- like traditional households in the Islamic Middle East where carpets flow from wall to seat to floor
GLASS
-extensive use of glass allows permeation of light and transparency (symbol of democracy and liberalism in the independent state of azerbaijan)
seamless and fluid (breaks geometric soviet architecture
how does it show the identity of heydar aliyev
-expresses his legacy, the state of azerbaijans legacy and its first presidency
-legitimised present day president, his son.
-momument to his family
how does it show the identity of azerbaijan
biomorphic forms
-evokes biomorphic forms of azerbaijan (mud volcanoes and mountain ranges)
arabic calligraphy
-curves mimic calligraphy and its fluidity
-symbolic of first presidency and independence
contempory nature shows how azerbaijan is a modernised state
-symbolic of their oil monet=y, elevates status
-independence
breaks geometric structure of soviet architecture
function
-a cultral centre, a civic building (promotes azeri culture)
-three main areas: atrium (museum/gallery and workshops), conference centre with a 1000 seat auditorium and a library that rises to a peak at the back of the building
-shows culture and history aswell as european stiuff for tourism
It is the primary centre for promoting contemporary Azeri culture, alongside a display of historic culture.
how does it show zaha Hadids identity
shows her dual cultral identity (british and Iraq)
iraw and azerbaijan have shared elementsb of heritage
shows culture and history aswell as european stuff for tourism (reflect european and Iraq heritage in one as well as baku’s desire of appealing to tourism)
how are there blending traditions
It is a very sensual, curvaceous style. These features link it both to European Romanticism and to Islamic traditions.
(again links back to hadid’s dual heritage and appeals to tourists, renders the newly emerging modern baku)
process used to make
parameticism: use of architectural digitaltechnologies to create complex non-standard forms and structures
It aims to achieve this by using advanced digital tools to simulate and analyse various design options and parameters, allowing architects to create more efficient and optimised designs
how is this a symbol of modernity
Its striking, modern design is an optimistic symbol of growth in the new republic, with its oil money being invested in signature buildings. moving away from soviet architecture
The white colour catches the light and sets it apart from other buildings in Baku.
Its curves can be seen as a reaction against the rigid architectures of the Soviet era (the site was previously an area with a Soviet factory and government housing)
site and scale
101,801 m2 floor space over eight levels
Set in a 10 hectare (111,292 m2) public park northwest of Baku city centre
materials
overall: Concrete, steel, Glass Fibre Reinforced Concrete (GFRC), Glass Fibre Reinforced Polyester (GFRP) and semi-reflective glass
shell structure of concrete elements
steel frame
enclosed by a skin of…
-glass fibre reiforced concrete
-glass fibre reinforced polyester
-semi-reflective glass
location
Baku, capital and largest city of the Republic of Azerbaijan
year
2012
what islamic approaches to architecture seen in
There are references to Middle Eastern Islamic architecture in the approach from the centre of the old city by a series of traces, steps and pathways zig-zagging up the slope, interspersed with waterfalls, linking to the traditions of calligraphy.
The running water of the waterfalls is also a traditional feature of Middle Eastern Islamic architecture
what could the curvacious form represent
calligraphy or a turban
reference to the Silk Road caravanserai, or as a turban unravelling in the wind (an allusion to the Turkic nomadic heritage of Azerbaijan)
The Azeri language was initially written in an Arabic script so the flowing curves of calligraphy are as familiar to the population of Baku as they are to Hadid who said:
quote from zaha hadid likening the composition to calligraphy
“There’s definitely a connection between fluidity – the fluid line and calligraphy – and what I am doing now… I think there is a kind of connection between architecture and geometry - and between calligraphy and geometry.”
how does the form link to biomorphic forms in azerbaijan
The distinctive mud volcanoes (“flowing like lava from mountain peaks”) and mountain ranges of Azerbaijan alongside the sand dunes of Hadid’s Iraqi childhood are reflected in the organic lines of the auditorium, and the silhouette is like an artificial mountain range.
critical quote on royal family wanting this to show culture
The ruling family want to make their mark with “an antimonumental monument devoted to culture not government”.
