London-based Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA) is planning its next project, the “Zhejiang Shaoxing Shangyu District Cao’e River Culture and Art Centre” in Shaoxing, a city rich in cultural heritage in Zhejiang Province, China. The centre will be the centrepiece of a new cultural district in Shangyu District, hosting opera, theatre, dance and drama performances, while combining cultural heritage with architectural innovation. The new cultural centre will be built on the banks of the historic Cao’e River and will be surrounded by green spaces. These open spaces will be organically connected to the city, essentially becoming parks and rest areas for its residents.
A futuristic project
The designs released by the office bear, as usual, the trademark of the late Zaha Hadid: curves. Thus, the structure of the building is characterized by wavy, sloping roofs. The roofs pay homage to local architecture while the construction of the building will also use glass-coated tiles, another reference to the place. The facades also constitute a modern dialogue with the green Celadon ceramics of the region, a 1,200-year-old tradition, in essence conversing with history.
The impressive wavy figure created by the interconnected roofs also provides functional benefits, such as sufficient shading over the glass facades, which will keep the interior spaces cooler. In addition, solar panels are also integrated into the roof to make the building more energy-efficient, reflecting the architectural firm’s sensitivity to environmental protection.
The building’s interior will include facilities for cultural activities such as dance, theater and music, a 1,400-seat theater, a museum, a gallery, a 500-seat multi-purpose hall, an arts and education center, and a conference center. These spaces will be connected by elevated walkways, spiral staircases, and undulating platforms, and will feature wood details throughout. “Traditional materials and innovative architecture are integrated to define a 21st-century cultural building that will be in direct connection with the region’s ancient past,” ZHA says of the project, another example of the firm’s commitment to creating spaces that follow their cultural and environmental context.
The “Queen of the Curve”
Zaha Hadid was one of the most pioneering architects of the 21st century. Her futuristic buildings reflected her optimism for the future and, while striking and beautiful, were always designed with functionality in mind. Hadid also always emphasized the concept of public space and its use by society and people. In fact, everything should be arranged in such a way that each person can move correctly within the building based on their instincts.
The architect became the first woman to receive the Pritzker Architecture Prize in 2004 and has twice won the United Kingdom’s most important architecture award, the RIBA Stirling Prize. Her other awards include the Commandeur de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres of the French Republic and the Praemium Imperiale of Japan, while UNESCO has described her as an “Artist for Peace.” Queen Elizabeth also honored her with the title of Dame Commander of the Order in 2012, while in 2016 she received the Royal Gold Medal from the Royal Institute of British Architects just a month before her sudden death.
Hadid was born in Baghdad in 1950, studied mathematics at the American University of Beirut before beginning her architectural career in London, studying at the Architectural Association School, from which she graduated in 1977. By 1979, she had founded her own office in London – Zaha Hadid Architects – and quickly gained a reputation for her groundbreaking projects, such as the Peak in Hong Kong (1983), Kurfürstendamm 70 in Berlin (1986) and the Cardiff Bay Opera House in Wales (1994). She died on March 31, 2016, at the age of 65, plunging the world of architecture and culture into mourning, but her spirit and vision for the world lives on through her buildings.
