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Zaha Hadid: Olympic Swimming Pool
Deyan Sudjic, Director Emeritus of The Design Museum, London discovers the breathtaking London Aquatics Centre in Stratford, London, designed by the legendary architect Zaha Hadid. Known for her futuristic, fluid forms and innovative structures, Hadid’s work transforms ordinary spaces into extraordinary experiences.
Hadid won an architectural competition with her visionary design for the Olympic swimming pool for the London 2012 Olympics. This iconic venue is a true masterpiece of design, blending elegance, functionality, and cutting-edge architecture.
Time Period:
21st century
Themes:
Deyan Sudjic is Director of the Design Museum in London. His career has spanned journalism, teaching and writing. Deyan was director of Glasgow UK City of Architecture 1999 and in 2002 he was Director of the Venice Architecture Biennale. He was Editor of Domus Magazine from 2000 to 2004, and was Founding Editor of Blueprint Magazine from 1983 to 1996. Deyan has published many books on design and architecture, including The Edifice Complex (2006), The Language of Things (2008), Norman Foster: A Life in Architecture (2010), Shiro Kuramata (2013), B is for Bauhaus (2014) and Ettore Sottsass, the Poetry of Things (2015). His most recent book, The Language of Cities, was published by Penguin in October 2016. Deyan was made an OBE in 2000.
12:53
Zaha Hadid: Sketching the Future
Hans Ulrich Obrist traces how Zaha Hadid’s futuristic architecture evolved from ‘superfluid’ sketches.
07:22
Zaha Hadid: Vitra Fire Station
Rolf Fehlbaum, chairman emeritus of Vitra, discusses the visionary design of Zaha Hadid’s Vitra Fire Station, one of her most iconic early works. Completed in 1993, this groundbreaking building in Weil am Rhein, Germany, defies conventional architectural forms with its sculptural forms, sharp angles, and dramatic use of concrete. Redefining architectural boundaries, the Vitra Fire Station was Hadid’s first constructed project, marking a pivotal moment in her career and influencing generations of architects to come.
09:34
Inside Cosmic House: A Postmodern Icon
Charles Jencks’ Cosmic House is the architectural historian’s “built manifesto of Postmodernism”.
12:53
Hans Ulrich Obrist traces how Zaha Hadid’s futuristic architecture evolved from ‘superfluid’ sketches.
07:22
Rolf Fehlbaum, chairman emeritus of Vitra, discusses the visionary design of Zaha Hadid’s Vitra Fire Station, one of her most iconic early works. Completed in 1993, this groundbreaking building in Weil am Rhein, Germany, defies conventional architectural forms with its sculptural forms, sharp angles, and dramatic use of concrete. Redefining architectural boundaries, the Vitra Fire Station was Hadid’s first constructed project, marking a pivotal moment in her career and influencing generations of architects to come.
09:34
Charles Jencks’ Cosmic House is the architectural historian’s “built manifesto of Postmodernism”.
12:20
Discover the radical politics of interior design in the Arts & Crafts movement.
8:44
Join Ashley Bickerton on the Hawaii beach where he first caught a wave to hear how a nomadic lifestyle has influenced his practice.
7:23
Gus Casely-Hayford reveals the secrets of a West African ivory mask created over 500 years ago, depicting a 'steely and ruthless' queen mother.