Currently showing at the Design Museum is Zaha Hadid’s new commission, Visions For The City Of London. Showing until 4 October 2009 as part of Super Contemporary - Celebrating Visionary Design from London’s Creative Mavericks.
The Idea:
Could London be designed to evolve differently from the way it has to date? Zaha Hadid invites you to take a step
back and reconsider the DNA of London. In the Visions or the City of London, Hadid poses several questions,
asking the visitor to reflect on their surroundings, taking nto consideration the existing infrastructure, whilst
challenging current systems. Themes covered in these questions include: what type of buildings should be next
to one another and how do we live and work in different types of neighbourhoods? This project is not a solution
but in approach for understanding the city’s structure and considering London’s character for the future.
The Design:
Setting a design principle of change, this proposal is both a vision and a template for a process. The interactive
urban landscaping tool is based on a principle of shaping London’s building blocks according to opposing forces. Step up to the screen and see the city change according to different decisions. The computergenerated simulation devised by Zaha Hadid Architects is working model, a move forward from previous sketches offering a new theory for urban master-planning.
The Designer:
Originally from Iraq, Zaha Hadid established her London practice in 1980 and has since challenged her contemporaries with the exploration of new spatial concepts in the pursuit of a visionary aesthetic in the fields of urbanism, architecture and design. She won the Pritzker Prize in 2004, and has designed the Aquatics Centre for the 2012 Olympic Games.
With thanks to Autodesk
This model of the forthcoming Abu Dhabi Performing Arts Centre is probably the most spectacular of all the models in the show. Architecturally the project - which was announced earlier this year - marks a new direction for Hadid, with the building’s forms being variously described as resembling an internal organ or a pair of mating lizards.
Zaha’s Vortexx chandelier has proven to be one of the most popular exhibits in the show. It was designed in 2005 for Italian lighting brand Sawaya & Moroni and represents an “infinite ribbon of light”. The exhibition text says: “The curved lines conjure up a double helix that appears to flow in perpetual motion. The chandelier is made from fibreglass and acrylic, finished in car paint with a recessed LED light source by Zumtobel.” The chandelier’s lighting technology is by Zumtobel of Austria. Read the rest of this entry »
A schoolboy admires Z.Car - a (non-working) prototype for a compact three-wheeler that is on display on the top floor at the Design Museum. Read the rest of this entry »
Here is the first of our selection of highlights from the exhibition - or at least the top floor of the exhibition, since the first floor is a bit dark for photos without pro equipment.
The Louis Vuitton Icone bag is made of moulded plastic and comes with its own stand and two stools. Read the rest of this entry »
