Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA) has been announced as the winner of the international design competition for the Napoli Porta Est masterplan, a large-scale urban regeneration project in Naples, Italy. The project aims to revitalize a district that has long been considered isolated and unsafe due to inadequate public spaces and physical barriers. The design involves the transformation of more than 30 hectares of abandoned industrial land, including a tobacco factory and an oil depot. While…
China has opened a new performing arts complex in Tongzhou, a historic port on the Grand Canal and the eastern gateway to Beijing. Designed by Perkins&Will’s and Schmidt Hammer Lassen, the Beijing Performing Arts Centre is a collection of major civic projects that also includes a museum, a library, and extensive parklands. Consisting of three world-class venues—an opera house, a theater, and a concert hall—as well as a multipurpose hall and an outdoor stage, the…
The Ziraat Bank headquarters is the centre-piece of the new Istanbul International Financial Center (IIFC). The Design of the twin towers was carefully crafted by KPF to be contemporary but at the same time take hints from the cultural heritage and historic architecture of Istanbul. The curving profile of the towers alluding to a traditional Ottoman calligraphic signature, the Tughra. The detailing of the podium façade references the ornate screens used across Islamic architecture. The…
Zaha Hadid Architects has revealed designs for the Centre of Mediterranean Culture, which is currently under construction on its coastal site in Italy. Informed by its marine setting, the centre is set to comprise a sinuous, round-edged volume that draws on the "radial symmetry of starfish", and will be finished with reflective aluminium panels and rounded roof openings. The building's form responds to the local climate, with sheltered courtyards mitigating the strong Mediterranean sun and…
The theatre is located on the northeast bank of Zilang Lake. From the lakeside, the undulating roof floats along the shore, shaping an elegant form, at the intersection of water and city. On the lakeside, the theatre is opened to the dramatic view of Zilang Lake with glass curtain wall; on the cityside, perforated aluminum panels with varying apertures enhance the cohesion of building. The site area of the project is 107000㎡, with a total…