Heydar Aliyev Center – a monumental landmark and symbol of modern Baku
Baku, March 3, AZERTAC
The capital city of Baku, beautifully situated by the eagle-like east part of Azerbaijan and on the western shore of the Caspian Sea in the south of the Absheron Peninsula, boasts show-stopping architectural wonders, among which Heydar Aliyev Center has a special meaning for the country.
Being one of the most recognized architectural landmarks worldwide, the Heydar Aliyev Center is one of the signature architectural landmarks of modern Baku, the capital city of the Land of Fires - Azerbaijan.
The Center was designed by world-famous Iraqi-British architect and Pritzker Prize winner Zaha Hadid.
Azerbaijan, a modern and strong country attached to its past and confidently moving forward, is recognized in the world through its national leader Heydar Aliyev. Thus, the Center bearing the name of Heydar Aliyev has become a symbol of modern Azerbaijan and modern Baku.
The construction of the Center was launched in 2007 and completed on May 10, 2012, to celebrate the 89th anniversary of national leader Heydar Aliyev.
With its distinctive architecture as well as fluid, curved style that avoids sharp angles, the overall shape of the building resembles a wave-like ascension from the ground towards the sky followed by gradual descent down to the earth. This is not only a tribute to post-modern architecture, but also a portrayal of an eternal cycle.
The astonishing fact about the Center is that not a single straight line was used in its design. The lines on the building-bridge the past with the present.
The Center houses a conference hall with three auditoriums, a library and a museum. Located close to the city center, the site plays a pivotal role in the redevelopment of Baku.
The Center is engaged in studying and promoting the statehood policy and heritage of national leader Heydar Aliyev. It also implements projects to popularize history and culture of Azerbaijan all over the world.
The Heydar Aliyev Center has also become a great venue for solo exhibitions of the world famous artists, sculptures and photographers.
The exhibitions, dedicated to Andy Warhol, Tony Craig, Laurence Jenkell, Vim Delvaux, Bernard Buffet, Jorge Marin, Theo Allofs, George Condo and Richard Deacon as well as international exhibition projects such as Legends of Arms, Cradle to Space, Retro Classic Car and Grace Kelly - Style Icon attracted interest of the public.
The building was nominated for awards in 2013 at both the World Architecture Festival and the biennial Inside Festival.
In 2014, the Heydar Aliyev Center has won the seventh Design of the Year competition: a prestigious award presented by the London Design Museum due to its innovative and cutting-edge design.
In an interview with BBC News, Artist Dame Zaha Hadid, sharing her impressions of the Heydar Aliyev Center’s winning the high award said: “The surface of the Heydar Aliyev Centre's external plaza rises and folds to define a sequence of public event spaces within; welcoming, embracing and directing visitors throughout the building.
It's an architectural landscape where concepts of seamless spatial flow are made real - creating a whole new kind of civic space for the city.”
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