ZHA_RAS_Architecting the Metaverse. Image Courtesy of ZHA
Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) has collaborated with Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA) for the 'Meta-Horizons: The Future Now' exhibition in Seoul, Korea. Designed by ZHA to promote the instigation and exchange of new ideas and to showcase innovative technologies and media, the inaugural exhibition of DDP’s new Design Museum explores ZHA’s work across multiple fields, from digital technology to artificial intelligence and virtual reality, featuring the firm's recent designs, process, and research that incorporates immersive technologies and new fabrication techniques. The exhibition will be on display from 26 May - 18 September 2022.
Spanning over 3 millennia with one of the highest concentrations of architecture in the world, Rome is a transcendental influence on the world's culture. A city rich in history, academia, and arts, the Italian capital is considered as one of the oldest continuously-occupied cities in Europe, and has maintained its countless layers of history to become a perfect depiction of old meets new, earning its nickname of "The Eternal City".
Rome's historic center, which stretches from Piazza del Popolo to Piazza Venezia and from the the east bank of the Tiber up to Piazza di Spagna, is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Along with its historical significance, the presence of renowned contemporary architects and designers in the city has made Rome an influential design destination. In 2019, it was the 14th most visited city in the world, welcoming over 8.6 million tourists to make it the third most visited in the European Union, and the most popular tourist destination in Italy.
It is nearly impossible nowadays not to present accompanying renders when proposing a new project. No matter the method, software or style that is used, it is a valuable reference that bares more practical weight than one might think. Not only can it be one of the closest possible representations of the architect's vision, if approved, it can also become a promise to clients, investors, and the general public.
When it comes to works from renowned architects, the render becomes a critical reference to the project participants and to the expectant community. A lot of details can be developed and considered when creating the images. In most cases, special attention is brought to the lighting, materials, and context in order to make the most accurate representation possible.
Zaha Hadid Architects - ZHA has unveiled a virtual "libertarian micro-nation" in the metaverse titled The Liberland Metaverse, where residents can buy vacant plots centered around a curated urban core, and access them as avatars. The community features hyper-realistic districts that encourage urban self-governance and zones where the absence of urban planning "allows for a spontaneous order via a free-wheeling discovery process".
As part of their ‘Essence of Design’ programme, the Hong Kong Design Institute (HKDI), Hong Kong Institute of Vocational Education (IVE), and the HKDI Gallery present “Zaha Hadid Architects: Vertical Urbanism”, an online exhibition that showcases ZHA's innovations in architecture through a display of technical drawings, computer-generated visualizations, architectural models, video projections, and VR experiences. The immersive exhibition is now online and enables visitors to explore the world of ZHA, offering them an insider look into the details of the office's formative projects.
Following excavation and engineering works on Dnipro’s metro line in 2016, Zaha Hadid Architects has begun construction on three new metro stations. The Teatralna, Tsentalna, and Muzeina stations, all designed by the renowned architecture firm, will connect the residential, commercial, cultural, and academic institutions in Dnipro’s eastern districts with the city center and the Dnipro-Holovnyi railway station.
MAXXI Museum celebrates women in architecture in a new exhibition that documents the transformative role of female architects in the profession's evolution over the last century. Curated by Pippo Ciorra, Elena Motisi, Elena Tinacci, and with exhibition design by Matilde Cassani, Good News. Women in Architecture weaves together in four thematic sections the history of women in architecture, with the work of contemporary practitioners and the voices of young collectives, telling the stories of over eighty female architects.
Zaha Hadid Architects' Hollywood-inspired Studio City Phase 2 has reached its full height of construction. Located in the Cotai district of Macau, the resort expansion was assigned to Zaha Hadid Architects back in 2017, featuring new leisure, entertainment, and hospitality facilities, including one of Asia’s largest indoor & outdoor water parks. The project was named winner of the ‘Regional Award Asia’ at the BREEAM Awards 2021, and is set to be complete in December 2022.
Abu Dhabi's history is tied to its development. As the capital and second most populated city of the United Arab Emirates, it has radically transformed in recent decades. Planned under the guidance of Sheikh Zayed by Japanese architect Katsuhiko Takahashi in 1967, Abu Dhabi has become an epicenter of cultural exchange and commercial activity. Between rapid development and urbanization, the city's architecture reflects global trends alongside new building methods.
Zaha Hadid Architects has ranked first in a design competition for the redevelopment of the Vilniusrailway station complex and surrounding area in Lithuania, with its ‘Green Connect’ proposal. Generating an integrated transportation hub for the 21st century with new civic spaces enveloped by nature, ZHA’s project is aligned to the city’s ongoing sustainability agenda.
Zaha Hadid Architects has been invited to exhibit at the 17th International Architecture Exhibition - La Biennale di Venezia. Titled ‘High-performing Urban Ecologies', the installation responds to the theme of Resilient Communities by displaying the Alis Meeting Pod, a modular structure of ZHA’s Unicorn Island Masterplan that is currently under construction in Chengdu, China. The installation is on display at the Giardino delle Vergini at the entrance of the Italian Pavilion.
The first exhibition by Zaha Hadid Architects 'ZHA Close Up – Work & Research' at the Modern Art Museum in Shanghai is now open to visitors. The exhibition displays an in-depth look at the evolution of Zaha Hadid Architects’ projects over the last 40 years, from the MAXXI Museum and the Leeza SOHO in Beijing, to the studio’s current ongoing projects across the world. The exhibition is the first by the architect to be held in in mainland China and will run until August 29, 2021.
Architects are charged with protecting the public’s health, safety, and well-being. When buildings fail, whether through increased loads, poor design, or natural disasters, that charge also falls to those capable and willing to aid people in need. Firefighters regularly experience architecture’s collapse, often risking life and limb to save occupants and individuals they do not know. Yet firefighters and emergency personnel also have their own buildings they call home, rare typologies where recreational, domestic, and professional activities collide.
Miralles Tagliabue EMBT, directed by Benedetta Tagliabue, has won the international competition to design the Shenzhen Conservatory of Music, one of the city's 10 new era cultural buildings. Characterized by the dialogue generated with its surroundings, the complex integrates music and art in nature with a proposal of organic and sustainable architecture.
Zaha Hadid Architects has designed the future of Huanggang Port Area, creating a hub of scientific research and collaboration in industries in Shenzhen, China. The new proposed master plan puts in place “an important node of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen Science and Technology Corridor”, through the reconstruction of the port building as well as the transformation of its empty lots into the national center for technology innovation.
Creating new standards for a more connected and livable city, Henning Larsen has designed a New Masterplan for Wolfsburg, Germany. The new prototype for urbanism across the European continent diffuses new energy in the city center. Selected to design the project in a competition in 2019 that included competitors UNStudio and Bjarke Ingels Group, Henning Larsen’s proposal for phase 1 is expected to reach completion by 2023.
Sir David Adjaye Studio. Image Courtesy of Design Miami/Architects for Beirut
Design Miami’s latest initiative in partnership with Architects for Beirut, has gathered a collection of 100+ original architectural drawings and artworks donated by 90+ renowned architects from around the world. With proceeds going to aid on-the-ground restoration efforts in Beirut, works offered include exclusive pieces from Zaha Hadid, David Chipperfield, Toyo Ito, Steven Holl, Tatiana Bilbao, Adjaye Associates, and Renzo Piano, to name a few.
Zaha Hadid Architects has revealed its design for the 36-story Murray Road project for Henderson Land, in the heart of Hong Kong’s central business district. Creating new civic plazas enveloped by nature, the urban oasis is located in proximity to both Central and Admiralty MTR metro stations.