When it comes to architects that have wonderful, but un-built work, Zaha Hadid has to be one of the most well known. Knowing this, a further look into her projects uncovers various wonderful designs.
The Performing Arts Centre in Abu Dhabi takes up a very organic form. It’s sleek, curved design adds much depth to the cultural district. More intriguing is that Hadid’s proposed Performing Arts Centre would be amongst buildings designed by other big names such as Frank Gehry and Tadao Ando. This fact means that her work not only has to be strong to suit the brief, but also to hold it’s own in such a rich context.
As seen in the images, the centre possesses a very natural feel, combining flowing curves with loose geometry. Zaha Hadid describes the design as “a structural form that emerges from a linear intersection of pedestrian paths within the cultural district, gradually developing into a growing organism that sprouts a network of successive branches”. She also describes the structure as a “biological analogy whose primary components are then transformed from these abstract diagrams into architectonic design”. 
The importance of this building is that it would contribute so intensely in a cultural sense. The building itself would not physically leave as big an impact as the life it would bring to its context. Abu Dhabi is the second most populous city in the United Arab Emirates. The UAE is actively trying to shift its economy from oil to tourism. Such a building would be so significant in promoting the arts, seeing as it would boast five theatres, a music hall, a concert hall, opera house, drama theatre and a flexible theatre. Mind you architecturally, it’s quite a marvel too. In saying so this building would be important in more ways than one might think just looking at the images of it.
For this project this would be extremely difficult to model, and currently out of realistic view of this assignment. But further discussion with colleagues is probably required before making that assumption.
References:
Yanko Design Website, Posted by Yanko Design in Architecture February 2, 2007 10:46 pm, http://www.yankodesign.com/index.php/2007/02/02/abu-dhabi-performing-arts-centre-by-zaha-hadid/
Inhabitant Website, Posted by Emily Pilloton March 7, 2007, http://www.inhabitat.com/2007/03/07/zaha-hadids-performing-arts-centre-in-abu-dhabi/
Image References:
Image 1: http://www.yankodesign.com/index.php/2007/02/02/abu-dhabi-performing-arts-centre-by-zaha-hadid/
