Heydar Aliyev Center -Zaha Hadid Architects

Architect: Zaha Hadid, Patrik Schumacher Associate

Architect: Saffet Kaya Bekiroglu

Year of construction: 2007-2012

Roof Height: 74m Length: 10,092m

Floors: 9

Built-up Area: 57.519m2

Heydar Aliyev Center is a
Location :Baku, Azerbaijan

multipurpose hall located in

Azerbaijan. Based on historic
Islamic architecture, the
structure made by one
continues surface. The surface
bends, folds, raises, disjoints
and joints in order to create
needed spaces and elements.
The Heydar Aliyev Center
principally consists of two
collaborating systems: a
concrete structure combined
with a space frame system.
In the construction of this
Space Frame Roofing Design concept
• The Wind counter Reflecting • The design of the Heydar
the topography of the site, the Aliyev Center establishes a
Heydar Aliyev Cultural Center continuous, fluid relationship
rises from the landscape, between its surrounding plaza
folding on a single, continuous and the building’s interior.
surface to form the building's • The plaza, as the ground
revolutionary geometric surface; accessible to all as
shape. part of Baku’s urban fabric,
• To blur the boundary between rises to envelop an equally
building and ground, public interior space.
engineers were tasked with Elaborate formations such as
assembling more than 9 acres undulations, bifurcations,
of curved steel segments. folds, and inflections modify
• Flowing in all directions, this this plaza surface into an
roof forms the building's architectural landscape that
ceilings, walls and stairs, performs a multitude of
making it one of the most functions: welcoming,
complex structures ever embracing, and directing
attempted. visitors through different
levels of the interior.
• With this gesture, the building
blurs the conventional
differentiation between
architectural object and urban
landscape, building envelope
and urban plaza, figure and
ground, interior and exterior.
Materials
• Glass Fibre Reinforced • To emphasize the continuous
Concrete (GFRC) and Glass relationship between the
Fibre Reinforced Polyester building’s exterior and
(GFRP) were chosen as ideal interior, the lighting of the
cladding materials, as they Heydar Aliyev Center has been
allow for the powerful very carefully considered. The
plasticity of the building’s lighting design strategy
design while responding to differentiates the day and
very different functional night reading of the building.
demands related to a variety • During the day, the building’s
of situations: plaza, volume reflects light,
transitional zones and constantly altering the
envelope. Center’s appearance
• The building, whose distorted according to the time of day
grid panels soft polyester and viewing perspective. The
Lightinghas no use of semi-reflective glass
reinforced fiberglass
visible connections, is less "as gives tantalizing glimpses
built" and more like "if within, arousing curiosity
landed". without revealing the fluid
• The construction has been trajectory of spaces inside.
used 121,000 m3 of • At night, this character is
reinforced concrete, gradually transformed by
194,000tn formwork and means of lighting that washes
19.000tn mold steel. from the interior onto the
• To shape the outer skin 5,500 exterior surfaces, unfolding
tons of structural steel were the formal composition to
needed, creating the 40,000 reveal its content and
m2 basis area for panels made maintaining the fluidity
from fiberglass reinforced between interior and exterior.
polyester or with concrete, a
total of almost 17,000
Harbin Opera House - MAD Architects

Harbin Cultural Island, a

master plan for an opera
house, a cultural center, and
the surrounding wetland
landscape along Harbin’s
Songhua River.
Architects: MAD Architects
Location: Harbin, Heilongjiang, China
Beijing studio MAD has
Area: 850000.0 ft2
Project Year: 2015
completed an opera house in
the Chinese city of Harbin,
featuring an undulating form
that wraps two concert halls
and a huge public plaza.
The sinuous opera house is the
focal point of the Cultural
Island, occupying a building
area of approximately 850,000
square feet of the site’s 444
acres total area.
The 79,000-square-metre
building features a three-
petalled plan. One houses a
grand theatre with space for up
to 1,600 visitors, while the
other is a more intimate
performance space for an
audience of 400.
Concept and Design
• The building is designed to
mirror the sinuous curves of
the marsh landscape, with an Material
exterior of smooth white • The exterior’s architecture
aluminium panels and glass. references the sinuous
• These contrast with the landscape of the surrounding
rooftops, where a textured area with its curvilinear
surface of ice-inspired glass facade composed of smooth
pyramids allows light in from white aluminium panels
above. which melts into the snowy
• The smooth surfaces of the environment during the
opera house's exterior winter months.
continue inside, where a large • The grand theatre is clad in
entrance lobby features rich wood which presents a
arched windows and a warm and inviting welcome.
latticed ceiling that is located The wooden walls are
beneath the sculptural glass sculpted from Manchurian
roof. Ash which wraps around the
• At one end, a large block main stage and theatre
of Manchurian Ash wood setting.
encloses the grand theatre,
with balconies and staircases
wrapping around the
outside.
• The second theatre offers
more of a connection to the
exterior, as its backdrop is a
soundproof glass wall. Its
walls look more like a pair
of weather beaten stone
cliffs.
• The huge public plaza forms
Founder of the innovative architecture firm MAD Architects, Ma
Yansong (born 26 November 1975) has helped to give China a
name in the international architecture scene. The first Chinese
architect to receive a RIBA fellowship, Ma explores
contemporary architecture in relation to traditional eastern
values of nature, resulting in buildings that are complex and
contextually aware, but sometimes even surreal.
Ma started out studying architecture at the Beijing Institute of
Civil Engineering and Architecture, later completing his Masters
degree at Yale University, where he began to gain recognition
due to his project "Floating Islands." After a period working
at Zaha Hadid Architects, in 2004 Ma founded MAD
Architects and in 2006 won the Architectural League of New
York's Young Architects Award. That same year, MAD designed
their breakthrough building, the Absolute Towers, which were
eventually completed in 2006.
Often credited for bridging design and values between the East
and West, Ma finds important inspiration for his architectural
designs from traditional Chinese and Japanese methods of
including "the structure, the landscape, the light, the plants, the
water"; in other words, as he explained to the New York Times
in 2016, "the whole setup" in the experience of a building.
Despite their often-futuristic exteriors, Ma’s designs have deep
roots in landscape and nature, attempting to ease the
interaction between buildings and people.
In 2014, Ma was named the Young Global Leader of the year,
the first in China to be awarded the title. The World Economic
Forum, which runs the award, called Ma an architect who
"commits himself to exploring the future of architecture by
combining the city density, function, and the spirit of Shanshui,
to reconnect the emotional link between human and nature."
As Ma continues to imagine and design cities that allow people
to "stay out of nature and return to nature," the world
may begin to see more of MAD’s natural cities reconnecting us
with our natural world.
Save this picture!
Harbin Opera House occupies a total footprint of 850,000 sq ft (78,967 mixed-use courtyard building that reuses existing structure and will
sq m) and rises to a total height of 56 m (183 ft).
It's a treat to see an architecture firm at the top of its game, and MADof approximately 23,000sqm. In Paris, MAD placed first in a
Architects' undulating Harbin Opera House doesn't disappoint. Looking
like an alien spaceship has landed on the wetlands of Harbin, Northeast bank of the River Seine. In Japan, MAD delivered an organic design
China.
Founded by Chinese architect Ma Yansong in 2004, MAD Architects
is a global architecture firm committed to developing futuristic,
organic, technologically advanced designs that embody a
contemporary interpretation of the Eastern affinity for nature. With
its core design philosophy of Shanshui City – a vision for the city of
the future based in the spiritual and emotional needs of residents –
MAD endeavors to create a balance between humanity, the city, and
the environment.
Globally recognized as a creative pioneer, founding principal Ma
Yansong is a central figure in the worldwide dialogue on the future
of architecture. Ma was named one of the “10 Most Creative People
in Architecture” by Fast Company in 2009. He received the
prestigious “International Fellowship” from Royal Institute of British
Architects (RIBA) in 2011, and was selected as “Young Global Leader
(YGL)” by World Economic Forum (Davos Forum) in 2014.
In 2014, MAD was selected as principal designer for the Lucas
Museum of Narrative Art in Chicago, USA, becoming the first China-
based architecture firm to design an overseas cultural landmark. In
2006, MAD won the design competition for the Absolute Towers in
Mississauga, Canada. The residential project is composed of 56-
story and 50-story high-rises and was completed in 2012. The
Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) awarded the
towers “Best Tall Building Americas” in 2012 and EMPORIS ranked
them first in their 2013 “Skyscraper Awards.”
MAD has been commissioned by clients of various backgrounds for
design in urban planning, urban complex, museum, theatre, social
residence, old neighborhood renovation, and artworks. Current
ongoing urban projects include Chaoyang Park Plaza, a mixed-use
urban complex project located in the new CBD of Beijing; Nanjing
Zendai Himalayas Center, a city-scale urban development of
approximate 600,000sqm floor area in total; Huangshan Mountain
Village, a master planning plus architecture design project with
450,000sqm site area. MAD’s signature cultural projects include
Harbin Opera House (completed in 2015), China Philharmonic
Concert Hall (in design development stage), Ordos Museum
(completed in 2011), and China Wood Sculpture Museum
(completed in 2011).
MAD has on-going international projects located in Rome, Paris,
Japan, and Beverly Hills. In the heart of Rome, MAD is designing a
house apartments, office space, and a chapel with total usable area
competition of 96 teams to build a residential complex on the right
for a local education center. The firm’s latest commission is a
13,000sqm mixed-use residential complex in the center of Beverly
Hills.
MAD has been a pioneer in contemporary art and design. MAD has
participated in significant exhibitions in the 10th, 11th and 12th
Venice Architecture Biennales. MAD also participated exhibitions at
the Victoria and Albert Museum (London), the Louisiana Museum of
Modern Art (Copenhagen), and MAXXI (Rome). An array of MAD’s
architecture models have been acquired by the well-known M+
Museum (Hong Kong) as part of their permanent collections.
The firm’s design advances have been chronicled in a series of
books: Mad Dinner, Bright City, Ma Yansong, and Shanshui City. MAD
principals have been invited for speaking engagements at the
American Institute of Architects, Architectural Association School of
Architecture (London), World Economic Forum in Davos, Strelka
Institute (Moscow), Harvard Graduate Schoold of Design(Boston)
and the UCL Bartlett School of Architecture (London).
MAD Architects is currently led by Ma Yansong, Dang Qun and
Yosuke Hayano. MAD has offices in Beijing, Los Angeles and New
York.
MAD Architects
KEY ARCHITECTS : MA Yansong, DANG Qun, Yosuke HAYANO
FOUNDED: 2004
LOCATION : Beijing, Los Angeles and New York

ABOUT
Founded by Chinese architect Ma Yansong in 2004, MAD
Architects is a global architecture firm committed to developing
futuristic, organic, technologically advanced designs that embody
a contemporary interpretation of the Eastern affinity for nature.
With its core design philosophy of Shanshui City – a vision for the
city of the future based in the spiritual and emotional needs of
residents – MAD endeavours to create a balance between
humanity, the city, and the environment.

PROJECTS
• Hongluo Clubhouse, North Beijing, China
• Absolute Towers, Mississauga, Canada
• Ordos Museum, Ordos, China
• China Wood Sculpture Museum, Harbin, China
• Harbin Opera House, China
• Conard Hotel, Beijing, China
• Chaoyang Park Plaza, Beijing, China
• Sheraton Huzhou Hot Spring Resort, Zhejiang Province, China
• Huangshan Mountain Village, China
Ordos Museum, China 2011 • Sinosteel International Plaza, Tianjin, China(in development)
• Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, Chicago, Illinois (in development)

"I think in the end, architecture is about what you see, what you experience and what
AWARDS
2011
Best Museum, UED, Ordos Museum
2012
Building of the Year, ArchDaily, Absolute Towers
Best Tall Buildings Americas, Council on Tall
Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH), Absolute Towers
“21 for 21”, WAN Awards
2014
Top 10 Towers of 2014, Designboom,
Chaoyang Park Plaza
Winner of "Metal in Architecture", WAN Awards,
Ordos Museum
2016
Archdaily Building of the Year - Culture Architecture,
Harbin Opera House
Winner, “Performing Spaces”, 2016 WAN Awards,
Harbin Opera House
2018
Archdaily Building of the Year,Housing Architecture,
Huangshan Mountain Village Sheraton Huzhou Resort, China 2013
Absolute Towers, Canada 2012

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Harbin Opera House - MAD Architects CASE STUDY
INTRODUCTION
In 2010, MAD won the international open
competition for Harbin Cultural Island, a master
plan for an opera house, a cultural center, and the
surrounding wetland landscape along Harbin’s
Songhua River. The sinuous opera house is the
focal point of the Cultural Island.
The project features two high-end theatre's with a
combined capacity of 2,000 patrons.

BUILDING SPECIFICATIONS The facade in contrast to the Harbin skyline

Typology: Opera House LOCATION AND SITE
Location: Harbin, Heilongjiang, China
Project Year: 2010-2015
Site Area : 444 acres
Building Area: 850,000 square feet
Building Height: 184 feet
Grand Theater Capacity: 1,600 seats
Small Theater Capacity: 400 seats
Storey : 2 storeys; 1 basement
Aerial view from the east
CONCEPT MATERIALS
The building is designed to mirror the sinuous curves • On the exterior, The resulting curvilinear façade
of the marsh landscape, seamlessly blends in with composed of smooth white aluminium panels
nature and the topography—a transfusion of local becomes the poetry of edge and surface, softness
identity, art, and culture. and sharpness.
Embedded within Harbin’s wetlands, • Comprised of glass pyramids, the surface alternates
the Harbin Opera House was designed in response to between smooth and faceted, referencing the
the force and spirit of the northern city’s untamed billowing snow and ice of the frigid climate.
wilderness and frigid climate. • The grand theatre is clad in rich wood which presents
a warm and inviting welcome. The wooden walls are
sculpted from Manchurian Ash which wraps around
SPATIAL PLANNING the main stage and theatre setting.

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Harbin Opera House - MAD Architects CASE STUDY
GRAND THEATER SMALL THEATER
• Upon entering the grand lobby, visitors will see large • Within the smaller theater, the interior is connected
transparent glass walls spanning the grand lobby, seamlessly to the exterior by the large, panoramic
visually connecting the curvilinear interior with the window behind the performance stage.
swooping façade and exterior plaza. • This wall of sound-proof glass provides a naturally
• Soaring above, a crystalline glass curtain wall soars scenic backdrop for performances and activates the
over the grand lobby space with the support of a stage as an extension of the outdoor environment.
lightweight diagrid structure.
• Presenting a warm and inviting element, the grand
theater is sculpted from Manchurian Ash, the wooden
walls gently wrap around the main stage and theatre
seating.
• The grand theater is illuminated in part by a subtle
skylight that connects the audience to the exterior and
the passing of time.
The lobby of the small theater Panoramic window backdrops
the small theater stage

The lobby of the grand theater

Rooftop terrace

At the apex, visitors discover an open, exterior

performance space that serves as an observation
platform for visitors to survey the panoramic views
of Harbin’s metropolitan skyline and the
surrounding wetlands below.
View of the grand theater’s main stage and seating

Grand Theater Longitudinal Section

Small Theater Longitudinal Section Grand Theater Transversal Section

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