Friday, June 12, 2009

Zaha Hadid Wins Cairo Competition


The 1,530,000 sq ft Cairo Expo City near the airport will comprise a major international exhibition and conference centre with business hotel. A further office tower and a shopping centre are also proposed.

According to Hadid, the undulating design was inspired by the natural topography of the Nile Valley.

‘As the exhibition spaces require the greatest degree of flexibility, we wanted to ensure that all the public spaces and formal composition of Cairo Expo City relate to the surrounding Egyptian landscape.’ said Hadid. ‘Along the great rivers of the region, most particularly the Nile, there is a powerful dynamic - a constant flow between the water and the land - which extends to incorporate the neighboring buildings and landscapes. For the Cairo Expo City design, we worked to capture that seamlessness and fluidity in an urban architectural context.’

Work to start clearing the site will begin in October. Hadid will be working together with engineering consultants Buro Happold. - www.architectsjournal.co.uk/5203232.article

Though I think this is a very beautiful design, I am a little skeptical of it's feasibility structurally and financially. I think that Zaha has created, like she always does, another site intervention to stick out and proclaim her apparent greatness.



Images obtained from: www.architectsjournal.co.uk

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