Heydər Əliyev Merkezi

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The Heydər Əliyev Center
The cultural center on a postage stamp for the Eurovision Song Contest 2012 in Baku

The Heydər Əliyev Merkezi (Eng .: Heydər-Əliyev-Zentrum , also Heydar-Aliyev-Zentrum ) is a cultural center in the Azerbaijani city ​​of Baku . It is named after the former president Heydər Əliyev .

history

The center was built between 2007 and 2012 according to plans by the Iraqi-British architect Zaha Hadid and opened on May 12, 2012 by President İlham Əliyev . The first director is Ənər Ələkbərov .

location

The building stands above a terraced park with a plot size of 111,292 m² in the center of Baku on Heydər-Əliyev- Prospekt .

architecture

The building consists of a concrete structure that is encased by a flowing spatial framework that is covered with white panels. This creates an almost monolithic, sculptural impression. Parts of the facade are extensively glazed. The outer flowing forms are consistently continued inside. The architect Piers Gough , one of the judges of the London Design Museum competition, raved about the building as "a stunningly beautiful building by one of the most brilliant architects at the height of her ability".

use

The area of ​​the building is around 100,000 m², more than half is available for the national museum, a library as well as exhibition, concert and conference halls of various sizes. The remaining area is used for stairwells, technical and utility rooms, etc. The auditorium can seat 1,000 people.

Awards

In 2014 the building received Design of the Year from the Design Museum London . Hadid was the first woman to receive this award. But she has also been criticized for working for the Azerbaijani regime, which is alleged to have violated human rights.

Web links

Commons : Heydər Əliyev Merkezi  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ The architect Zaha Hadid under fire: Building icons for authoritarian states , Neue Zürcher Zeitung , July 22, 2014
  2. ^ Urban landscape in the river: Heydar Aliyev Center by Zaha Hadid , detail , November 16, 2016
  3. ↑ Wave of protest over Zaha Hadid's Baku prizewinner , The Guardian, June 30, 2014.

Coordinates: 40 ° 23 ′ 43 ″  N , 49 ° 52 ′ 1 ″  E