Zaha to build in London.Last month Zaha Hadid was announced as the winner of the design competition for the Architecture Foundation's new centre for architecture. Despite her international success, it was clear from her speech at the announcement party that she was delighted to be building in London. Recalling her time as a student, she described halcyon hal·cy·on n. 1. A kingfisher, especially one of the genus Halcyon. 2. A fabled bird, identified with the kingfisher, that was supposed to have had the power to calm the wind and the waves while it nested on the sea days of drinking bubbly on the Southwark river-bank, just a stone's throw from the competition site. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The much-needed architecture centre will provide a new home for the highly proactive Architecture Foundation, housing exhibition space, events space, offices and the all important bar. In response to an awkward corner triangular site, the design team--lead by Christos Passas folded a concrete ribbon over itself to generate the structural armature armature, in art: see sculpture. Armature That part of an electric rotating machine which includes the main current-carrying winding. of the building. This wrap holds a glazed atrium, orders the building's circulation and creates a powerful contrast between solid, void, enclosure and exposure. As contorted as the building itself, an amusing twist to the story has also emerged, namely that Graham Morrison the iconoclast's nemesis--was instrumental in initiating the project. Having introduced the Architecture Foundation to his client British Land (who made the project possible by donating the site and funding the project's [pounds sterling]2.25 million construction costs), Morrison will soon have to face Zaha's unquestionably un·ques·tion·a·ble adj. Beyond question or doubt. See Synonyms at authentic. un·ques  tion·a·bil iconic Flatiron from his own Allies and Morrison Allies and Morrison are a London-based architecture practice founded by Bob Allies and Graham Morrison in 1984 following their success in the competition for the redesign of the public space at the Mound, Edinburgh. The practice now employs over 200 people. office windows, every day. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] While Zaha walked away with gold, from a shortlist of eight, the distinguished judges (Rowan Moore, Will Alsop, Paola Antonelli, David Chipperfield, Nigel Coates, Mike Hussey, Nick Serota and Richard Lech Lech (lĕkh), river, c.175 mi (280 km) long, rising in Vorarlberg, W Austria, and flowing NE into S Germany past Augsburg to the Danube River. The Wertach River is its chief tributary. ) awarded silver to international collaborators a-Graft, and bronze to enthusiastic newcomers AOC AOC, n an acronym for the Aromatherapy Organizations Council. (Agents of Change). For more information visit www.architecturefoundation.org.uk [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] |
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