venice architecture biennale 08 preview: zaha hadid architects

as part of this year’s venice architecture biennale, zaha hadid architects will contribute to several different exhibitions/installations. listed here are the works that will be on show:

the ‘lotus’ is a system of enfolded furnishings through which one can seduce and engage the immediate and more distant world. this room fluctuates between two extreme states: one which is highly condensed and exclusive of its surroundings and the other which is unfolded, dispersed and interlocked into its environment. reconfiguration is also a means towards appropriation and personalization.

the ‘lotus’ room is conceived as a fragmented enclosure that can be compressed and expanded into programmed areas for resting, sitting, storage, and browsing. a multitude of folds structure these programs both formally and functionally. the space of the room is in transience and fluctuates between two extreme states:

one which is highly condensed and exclusive of its surroundings and the other which is unfolded, dispersed and interlocked into its environment. furniture and architecture become integrated and mobile as the various parts are released from their compact configuration to reveal a mobile desk with encased chair, bed, shelving, a wardrobe rail/room divider, and end table. increased variety and possibilities for habitation are revealed as the lotus seductively sheds and unveils its embedded counterparts.

showcase of projects by leading russian and foreign architects working in russia. the capital hill residence is under construction with expected completion date 2010.

zaha hadid architects have authored several hundred projects – over a period of 30 years – in a unified effort: the quest for architecture to take on the dynamic complexity of contemporary society. at the same time there is a cumulative build up of virtuosity, resolution and refinement. this is a function of the consistency of agenda, ambition and values that allow us to build achievement upon achievement.

an exhibition responding to the biennale’s theme ‘out there. architecture beyond building’, which brings together fifty architects who represent what architecture can give to the city and its inhabitants.

on the occasion of the 500th anniversary of andrea palladio’s birth, zaha hadid and patrik schumacher present ‘aura’. an experiment in translating villa foscari ’s palladian design, aura relies on a definite set of harmonic proportions where elegance and dynamism is generated through a process defined by a non-linear set of rules derived from palladio’s theories. see our previous blog entry on ‘aura’

more zaha hadid architects: http://www.zaha-hadid.com venice architecture biennale: http://www.labiennale.org/en/architecture

other venice architecture biennale 2008 previews greg lynn | an te liu | penezic & rogina architects

designboom snapshot report: venice biennale 2006