Contemporary Arts Center – Zaha Hadid

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Before traveling to Zaha Hadid’s Contemporary Arts Center, we believed that the spatial overlaps of the facades would translate to the interior as would the rectangular prism-like extrusions.  We also questioned the significance of the change in materiality of the facades.  Lastly, we were left wondering what the circulation and the experience of the space would yield.  Upon arrival we found that the building seemed smaller than the images depicted.  The stairs overlapped in such a way that they created an interesting geometry when one looked up or down the space they occupied.  The materiality of the outside façade seemed to follow the function of the interior spaces as gallery spaces were enclosed to protect the artwork, while office spaces were open to natural light.  Overall the inside of the building was surprising and in our personal opinion, one of the most interesting of the trip. 

Matt, Aman, Paul

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