Wirl

Zaha Hadid Architects (United Kingdom)

Zaha Hadid was awarded the Pritzker Prize, considered to be the Nobel Prize of architecture, in 2004 and is internationally known for both her theoretical and academic work. Each of her dynamic and innovative projects builds on over thirty years of revolutionary experimentation and research in the interrelated fields of urbanism, architecture and design. Having first received international recognition through her striking images and designs, Zaha Hadid is widely regarded as an innovative architect who constantly tests the boundaries of architecture, urbanism and product design.

An aspect of Hadid's vision is her interest in the rigorous interface between architecture, landscape, and geology as she integrates natural topography and human-made systems that lead her to experiment with cutting-edge technologies. Such a process often results in unexpected and dynamic architectural forms moulded by the realities of site and building requirements.

The Phaeno Science Center in Wolfsburg, Germany, illustrates Hadid's quest for complex, dynamic and fluid space. Previous seminal buildings such as the Rosenthal Center for Contemporary Art in Cincinnati and the BMW Central Building in Leipzig, have also been hailed as architecture that transforms our vision of the future with new spatial concepts and bold, visionary forms.

Currently Hadid is working on a multitude of projects including: The Aquatic Centre for the London 2012 Olympic Games; The Signature Towers in Dubai; Dubai and China Opera Houses; private residences in Russia and the USA as well as major master-planning projects in Bilbao, Istanbul, Middle East, Far East and Singapore.

Zaha Hadid's work of the past 30 years was the subject of a critically-acclaimed retrospective exhibition at New York's Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in 2006, and was showcased last summer at the Design Museum in London. Hadid's projects to open this year are the Bridge Pavilion for the Expo in Zaragoza and the Mobile Art pavilion for Chanel traveling through Hong Kong ,Tokyo, the United States and London. In 2009, her revolutionary design for the MAXXI: National Museum of 21st Century Art will be completed in Rome, as will the Guangzhou Opera House, China.

Design Synopsis of Wirl

Wirl was conceived to reflect the intensity of a hyper-acceleratory force within an elastic tactile form. Moments of graceful suspension are tensioned between muscular sweeps in multiple directions. As the curvature of the surface dynamically and seamlessly twists and turns, dynamic form and functional furnishings are seamlessly integrated. Swells provide areas for seating while stretches in the form furnish opportunities to recline. A generous upward sweep provides shade as well as integrating a series of evolving framed views of the surrounding environment and buildings. Differentially sized voids allow for a variety of experiential possibilities in regards to entering into and interacting with the sculpture for visitors of all sizes, all the while, surrounded by a cloud of swirling forces lifting off the ground. Rhythmic and asymmetrical, seamless and articulated - its curvaceous form is an intricately linked spatial and inhabitable improvisation suspended in time.

The design and realization of Wirl was driven by the new possibilities created by significant technological advancements in three dimensional design software, as well as an inherent desire to test and engage with the very latest manufacturing capabilities. The resulting sculpture is a dialogue of complex curvilinear geometries and detailed ergonomic research that provides the opportunity to reinvent the balance between urban furniture and public space.

Information provided by Sun Hung Kai Properties Charitable Fund Limited.