Heydar Aliyev Cultural Center: Genius of Zaha Hadid

Heydar Aliyev Cultural Center is one of the most important and famous buildings of Azerbaijan. The centre, which results from the competition that the country opened for constructing a cultural centre with a modern approach, owes its reputation to Zaha Hadid, who always admires her understanding of design. Heydar Aliyev Cultural Center, where the Zaha Hadid aesthetics can be seen most clearly and known worldwide, has a lot to say in the name of deconstructivism.

New Azerbaijan

It dates back to 2007, when the first ideas about the Heydar Aliyev Cultural Center emerged. The Azerbaijani government has decided to build a cultural centre named the beloved leader Heydar Aliyev, who led the country for many years (1969-2003). The building’s competition is started, and Zaha Hadid is selected among projects with its unique futuristic aesthetic.

It is said that the Azerbaijani government consciously adopted such a futuristic and modern design. In the country, which declared its independence by separating from the Soviet Union in 1991, the Soviet-style was still dominant in architecture in the early 2000s. On the other hand, the Azerbaijan government has moved to a very extreme point in the design of the Heydar Aliyev Cultural Center to introduce the future-oriented, innovative and modern face of the country to the whole world.

Impossible Forms

Heydar Aliyev Cultural Center is one of the buildings that best reflect the Zaha Hadid aesthetics. Right angles are wholly rejected in the shell of the building, which is deconstructive and highly modern. The structure has an organic form. Moreover, this organic form is so elegant and successful in its construction that Heydar Aliyev Cultural Center seems to stand weightless on its own on earth.

In reality, the Heydar Aliyev Cultural Center stands by combining the space frame system with reinforced concrete. Also, the building shell has bearing properties. Thus, it was possible to keep the wavy form and pass through large openings in the interior.

Interior Space and Landscape

The wavy forms on the outer shell of Heydar Aliyev Cultural Center continue inside. This form is preserved, especially in the concert hall. The waves in the concert hall are said to express the rhythm of the music.

Heydar Aliyev Cultural Center’s play with organic forms is not limited to shell and interior space. The centre has vast land. This land also follows the structure in form. When transporting visitors to the Heydar Aliyev Cultural Center, an environmental arrangement provides integrity with the centre itself with its slopes and fluctuations. That brings the Heydar Aliyev Cultural Center as a whole to a very consistent point. And, of course, it makes us appreciate once again the architectural genius of Zaha Hadid.

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