LIVE STONES
Sector:
Audience
Premises :
Montpelier; Herault
Year:
2002 - 2012
Pictures :
Jean-Yves JUGUET
Architecte
If Architecture
Born in Baghdad and naturalized British, Zaha Hadid (1950-2016) appears on the contemporary architecture scene as one of the most famous figures for her versatile and particular style, her great charm and impact.
In the seventies, she obtained her mathematics degree in Beirut, then studied architecture in London, opening her own practice in the British capital in 1980. Her first major international recognition dates back to 1983, when she won the competition of the Peak Leisure Club of Hong Kong.
She was the first woman to receive the Pritzker Architecture Prize, in 2004. She received the UK's most prestigious architectural prize, the Stirling Prize, in 2010 and 2011. In 2012, Elizabeth II awarded her awarded the title of Dame for services to architecture, and in 2015 became the first and only woman to be awarded the Royal Gold Medal by the Royal Institute of British Architects.
The building, which has all the features requested, exemplifies a certain vision that the Anglo-Iraqi architect sought to achieve: “Beautiful views from all possible angles”. Hence a creation with a complex geometry, in three dimensions, made up of fluid and wavy lines, sharp angles, superimposed planes, cantilevered volumes, ribs and transparencies. The building of an imposing size (195 meters long, 24 m high, 46 m wide) nevertheless gives an impression of movement. Inside, the large volumes are soft, the inclined walls responding to curves. The high glazing brings in the outside light, which plays on the materials of different shades: gold, gray, green, black...
