| Heydar Aliyev Cultural Center | |
|---|---|
| Heydar Aliyev Cultural Center construction.jpg Construction in October 2011 |
|
| General information | |
| Status | Under construction |
| Type | Cultural Center |
| Location | Baku, Azerbaijan |
| Coordinates | |
| Estimated completion | 2011 (est.) |
| Height | |
| Roof | 74 m (243 ft) |
| Design and construction | |
| Main contractor | DIA Holding |
| Architect | Zaha Hadid Architects |
The Heydar Aliyev Cultural Center is a cultural complex currently being constructed in Baku, Azerbaijan. The complex is designed by renowned Iraqi-British architect Zaha Hadid and will include a 21,000sq m conference hall rising to a height of 22m, a museum, library and sculpted parkland.[1] The 9ha project is held up by the government as a project of national importance ahead of Baku’s bid for the 2016 Olympics.
The Cultural Center will house a conference hall with 3 auditoriums, a library and a museum. This ambitious project will play an integral role in the intellectual life of the city. Located close to the city center, the site will play a pivotal role in the redevelopment of Baku. The site neighbouring the Heydar Aliyev Cultural Center is designated for residential, offices, a hotel and commercial center, whilst the land between the Cultural Center and the city’s main thoroughfare will become the Cultural Plaza – an outdoor piazza for the Cultural Center as well as a welcoming space for the visitors.
The proposal for the Heydar Aliyev Cultural Center envisions a fluid form which emerges by the folding of the landscape’s natural topography and by the wrapping of individual functions of the Center. All functions of the Center, together with entrances, are represented by folds in a single continuous surface. This fluid form gives an opportunity to connect the various cultural spaces whilst, at the same time, providing each element of the Center with its own identity and privacy. As it folds inside, the skin erodes away to become an element of the interior landscape of the Cultural Center.[2]