Behemoths and leviathans

In the past two weeks, social media has made us privy to the mysterious, almost Martian charm of Zaha Hadid's larger-than-life legacy. It is a wonder how her vast body of work had been unknown to so many of us for so long. Her powerful architectural form was evolved, distinct-more fluid than mere mortar, more muscle than mere stone. 

 

While every building, every structure is fantastical in its own right, some of Zaha Hadid's creations defy the laws of physics and question the boundaries of man more than others.

 

Changsha Meishihu International Cultural Centre

 

 

The construction of this 1800-seat performance venue hasn't moved much since its big unveiling in 2013, but its giant flower-like pods look spectacular scattered atop Meixi Lake in Changsha, China. If it becomes a reality, the Cultural Centre would consist of a grand theatre, an art museum and a multi-purpose hall.

 

Galaxy Soho

 

The Galaxy Soho is a life-size optical illusion, with its dynamic and myriad ever-changing perspectives. Five inter-connected flowing volumes coalesce into this immersive experience at the centre of Beijing, China. All curves and open spaces, this retail complex eclipses the traditional concept of mega malls.

 

 

Heydar Aliyev Centre

 

 

This icy cavalcade of sloping loops in Baku, Azerbaijan wholly eschews the concept of sharp angles. The centre houses an auditorium, a gallery hall and a museum and is rightly the heart of intellectual life of the city.

 

Nordpark Railway Stations

 

 

At first sight, one wonders how the mushroom-like arches of the Nordpark Railway Stations support themselves so. The series of four stations take on a common spatial approach with their curved, umbrella-like bodies and are strewn across the snowy mountain town of Innsbruck, Austria.

 

 

Innovation Tower

 

This awe-inspiring specimen of architectural genius is no less than the Fortress of Solitude incarnate. With its foreboding futurist geometry and its angular curvatures, the Innovation Tower in Hong Kong is more than a few steps away from Zaha Hadid's famed fluid forms, evidencing her unimaginable breadth when it comes to multiple perspective points and avant-garde architecture.

 

At the same time expressive as a human and otherworldly as a starcraft, the Zaha Hadid's creations, with their sinuous sweeping limbs suspended in mid-air, have haunted and inspired the world for decades. The phenomenal architect lives on in her ground-breaking architecture, interior design, art and her many phantasmagorical designs still in the making.