JEREMIASZ SIECZKO (ARCH1390): August 2010

Zaha Hadid is an Iraqi born architect currently living & working in Britain. She studies Mathematics at the American University of Beirut before studying Architecture at the Architectural Association School of Architecture in London. Hadid has won numerous international competitions, some of which were initially never built. She is known fot here intense, avant-grade, sometimes deconstructivist designs which are “theoretically influential and groundbreaking”. She was a partner in the Office of Metropolitan Architecture with Rem Koolhaas before opening here own practice – Zaha Hadid Architects. Zaha Hadid Architeis now employs more than 350 people and has it’s headquarters in London, Britain.

Hadid has a particular digital representation style which tends to be quite dark and distinctly separate from the real world. She uses digitally rendered images and videos to represent the buildings she designs.

http://www.zaha-hadid.com/masterplans/one-north-masterplan

http://www.zaha-hadid.com/masterplans/olebeaga-masterplan

LONDON AQUATICS CENTRE

Legacy Mode

Olympic Mode

The concept behind the London Aquatic Centre was to create a building inspired by the fluid geometry of water in motion. The aim was to create spaces and a surrounding environment in harmony with the river landscape of the Olympic Park. The roof of the building “sweeps” from the ground as if it were a wave in the ocean - enclosing the pools of the centre in the process. The roof itself is 160m long and expands to be 90m wide and is completely columns, instead supported by concrete supports on each end; one of which is 28m long and 5m wide. The centre has been designed to accommodate for two different modes – Olympic and Legacy. Under Olympic mode the centre has additional grandstand capacity attached while Legacy mode is the centre with these additional sitting requirements removed; ensuring the centre will have a functional usage after the 2010 London Olympics.

The visual representation of the styles of architectural representation are very bright and colourful, differing significantly from Hadid's personal style which tends to be quite dark. The usage of full environment digital renders with photomontaged people highlights only the elements which the architect is showcasing (surrounding buildings are left plain). Although quite a complex building, the centre is significantly explained in the various angle shots of the site with size being measured in reference to individuals in the shots. The section and plans also contribute to the understanding of the building.

http://www.zaha-hadid.com/sports-and-leisure/london-aquatics-centre
http://www.london2012.com/webcams/aquatics-centre.php

CALIFORNIA RESIDENCE

The project brief called for a family house looking over the Pacific Ocean. Hadid’s answer was to implement as structure with an introverted sculptural quality which opens up towards the ocean and an internal courtyard. “The powerful dichotomy between intimacy and exposure is evident in the extreme”. The design is characterised by tension arising between straight and curved surfaces of the building which converge at the parameter into a softer dynamic. This allows fot the dramatic opening to reveal the ocean beyond to occur.

“The introverted sculptural geometry of the house is closely nested in its adjacencies. The landscape design follows the language of the building, demarcating the entrance and leading the visitor in a continuous movement from the outside to the interior.”

The visual representation of the styles of architectural representation is quite dark and aligned with much of Hadid's other work. The digital renders are photomontaged into the environment which has been darkened to align with the style of the building

http://www.zaha-hadid.com/residential/california-residence