UAEU Lecture Notes on History and Theories of Contemporary Architecture

Department of Architectural Engineering HISTORY AND THEORIES OF CONTEMPORARY ARCHITECTURE Lecture 11 Deconstruction...

Department of Architectural Engineering HISTORY AND THEORIES OF CONTEMPORARY ARCHITECTURE Lecture 11 Deconstruction Dr Ahmed Agiel | Department of Architectural Engineering | ARCH 366 History and Theories of Contemporary Architecture | 3 Cr H  CLASS OBJECTIVES: To understand the principles and theories of architectural deconstructivism. (Linked to CLO 1) To recognize and discuss significant 20th and 21st-century buildings and their architects within the deconstructivist movement. (Linked to CLO 2) To evaluate the social, cultural, and practical impacts of deconstructivist buildings. (Linked to CLO 3 and CLO 4) To foster critical thinking through the analysis of the successes and challenges of deconstructivist architecture. (Linked to CLO 3) To promote understanding of the regulatory and structural challenges faced by deconstructivist architecture. (Linked to CLO 3)  CLASS TIMELINE: 1. Introduction (10 minutes): 4. Critical Thinking Analysis (15 minutes): Overview of the day’s class objectives and how they link to the CLOs. Interactive quiz based on YouTube material (CLO 3). Brief introduction to deconstructivism architecture. Review and feedback on quiz answers (Linked to CLO 3). 2. Recognize and Discuss (15 minutes): 5. Understanding Regulatory Challenges (10 minutes): Presentation on iconic buildings and their architects (CLO 2). Group activity on regulatory challenges (CLO 3). Breakout group discussions (Linked to CLO 2 and CLO 5). Class discussion on overcoming these challenges (Linked to CLO 3). 3. Evaluate Impacts (15 minutes): 6. Conclusion and Q&A (10 minutes): Group discussions on social, cultural, and practical impacts (CLOs 3 Summarize key points from the class. and 4). Open floor for questions and answers, linking back to the class Debate segment (Linked to CLO 3). objectives and CLOs.  HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE Deconstruction Deconstructivism is a movement of postmodern architecture which appeared in the 1980s. It gives the impression of the fragmentation of the constructed building, commonly characterized by an absence of obvious harmony, continuity, or symmetry.  Defining Deconstruction: A liberation from Euclidean geometry, infusing buildings with dynamic energy and a revolutionary formation approach. Frank Gehry's Insight: "You've got to bumble forward into the unknown." Essence of Deconstructivism: Viewing architecture in fragments, dismantling the basic elements. Visual Complexity: Buildings appear as a collage of disharmonious, abstract forms. DECONSTRUCTIVI SM: Characteristics: BEYOND EUCLI DEAN Confrontational and bold designs. BOUNDARIES Surprising elements that challenge conventional aesthetics. Philosophical Inspiration: Influenced by Russian Constructivists and philosopher Jacques Derrida. Design Principles: Fragmentation and surface manipulation. Non-rectilinear shapes creating distortion and dislocation. Motto by Bernard Tschumi: "Form follows fantasy", evolving from Louis Sullivan's "form follows function".  Principles of Deconstruction Architecture 1- Liberation from conventional forms 2- Deconstructing all principles of Euclidian geometry 3- Fulfilling functional needs 4- Asymmetry: inventing solutions for creating visual balance without symmetry 5- Perfect utilization of the contemporary technology 6- Hiding the structural elements of the building  FRANK GEHRY 1. Walt Disney Concert Hall, Los Angeles Gehry’s use of unconventional forms and materials challenges traditional architectural aesthetics, and the hall is acclaimed for its excellent acoustics.  FRANK GEHRY 2. Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao This building is credited with the "Bilbao Effect," illustrating how a museum can revitalize an entire city through its radical design.  REM KOOLHAAS 3. CCTV Headquarters, Beijing Koolhaas's design defies the conventional skyscraper, creating a loop of horizontal and vertical sections that challenge the very form of a high-rise. Deconstructivism: Beyond Euclidean Boundaries Defining Deconstruction: A liberation from Euclidean geometry, infusing buildings with dynamic energy and a revolutionary formation approach. Frank Gehry's Insight: "You've got to bumble forward into the unknown." Essence of Deconstructivism: Viewing architecture in fragments, dismantling the basic elements. Visual Complexity: Buildings appear as a collage of disharmonious, abstract forms. Characteristics: Confrontational and bold designs. Surprising elements that challenge conventional aesthetics. Philosophical Inspiration: Influenced by Russian Constructivists and philosopher Jacques Derrida. Design Principles: Fragmentation and surface manipulation. Non-rectilinear shapes creating distortion and dislocation. Motto by Bernard Tschumi: "Form follows fantasy", evolving from Louis Sullivan's "form follows function". Deconstructivism: The Evolution of Form Historical Context: Emerged from Postmodernism in the late 1980s. Core Concepts: Fragmentation: Breaking down architectural elements. Surface Manipulation: Playing with the exterior 'skin' of structures. Non-Rectilinear Shapes: Distorting and dislocating architectural components. Visual Impact: Buildings present an engaging unpredictability and controlled chaos. Artistic Lineage: Echoes elements from various 20th-century art movements such as: Modernism/Postmodernism Expressionism Cubism Minimalism Contemporary Art Origins in Thought: Inspired by the deconstruction philosophy in art and literature from the 1970s. Philosophical Foundations: Coined by Jacques Derrida in 1971 to describe works with complex, interwoven meanings. Deconstructivism: Architects and Milestones Cross-Disciplinary Influence: Expansion of deconstructivist ideas across various art forms. Architectural Proponents: A notable group of architects embraced and implemented deconstructivist principles in their work: Peter Eisenman Bernard Tschumi Daniel Libeskind Zaha Hadid MoMA Exhibition 1988: A pivotal event in the history of Deconstructivism. Curated by Philip Johnson. Titled "Deconstructivist Architecture". Featured works by seven influential architects, including: Frank Gehry Rem Koolhaas Coop Himmelblau Celebrated for challenging modernism's orthodoxy. Deconstruction The hallmark of deconstructivist architecture is its apparent instability. Though structurally sound, the projects seem to be in states of explosion or collapse....Deconstructivist architecture, however, is not an architecture of decay or demolition. On the contrary, it gains all of its force by challenging the very values of harmony, unity, and stability, proposing instead that flaws are intrinsic to the structure." Deconstruction GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS OF DE CONSTRUCTIVISM Explodes architectural form into loose collections of related fragments. Destroys the dominance of the right angle and the cube by using the diagonal line. Uses ideas and images from Russian Revolutionary architecture and design Provokes shock, uncertainty, unease, disquiet, disruption, distortion by challenging familiar ideas about space, order and regularity in the environment. Rejects the idea of the `perfect form' for a particular activity and rejects the familiar relationship between certain forms and certain activities  Artistic Influences on Deconstructivism Modern Art Synthesis: Deconstructivism's connection with Minimalism and Cubism. Cubism's Contribution: Analytical approach: Dissection of form and multi- perspective views. Impact on architecture: Visible in the dissected and fragmented forms of deconstructivist buildings. Minimalism's Intersection: Shared Concepts: Deconstructivism and Minimalism both embrace conceptual art elements. Simplification vs. Complexity: While Minimalism is about stripping away, Deconstructivism often complicates by deconstructing. Architectural Illustrations: Frank Gehry's Work: A reflection of disjoined space and complex forms. Bernard Tschumi's Designs: A blend of conceptual art with architectural function. Principles of Deconstruction Architecture Class activity Video to watch https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8OGJBuHztk Principles of Deconstruction Architecture 1- Liberation from conventional forms: Liberation from conventional forms is the base for the architectural innovation process. Deconstruction architects, therefore, put architectural solutions distinguished with freedom in creativity and innovation. This put burdens on the structural engineering shoulders as the buildings forms have posed challenge on them in order to find innovative structural solutions to cope with these unfamiliar architectural forms. Principles of Deconstruction Architecture 1- Liberation from conventional forms Moving away, from vertical and horizontal orthogonal angles and other conventional ones such as 30, 45 and 60 degrees. This is because deconstruction depends on deconstructing the parts of the building and make it more dynamic that challenge the gravity through placing the masses in the third dimensions with ‘unstable’ angles and slopes that gives the building a feeling of continuous dynamic motion. Vitra Design Museum, Germany, 1990 by Frank Gehry Imperial War Museum North, Manchester, 2001, by Daniel Libeskind The Imperial War Museum North (IWMN) in Manchester, England, tells the story of how war has affected the lives of British and the Commonwealth citizens since 1914. The design concept is a globe shattered into fragments and then reassembled. The interlocking of three of these fragments—representing earth, air, and water—comprise the building’s form. The Earth Shard forms the museum space, signifying the open, earthly realm of conflict and war; the Air Shard serves as a dramatic entry into the museum, with its projected images, observatories and education spaces; and the Water Shard forms the platform for viewing the canal, complete with a restaurant, cafe, deck and performance space.  The design concept is a globe shattered into fragments and then reassembled. Imperial War The interlocking of three of these fragments—representing earth, air, and water— Museum North, comprise the building’s form. Manchester, The Earth Shard forms the museum space, signifying the open, earthly realm of conflict and war; the Air Shard serves as a dramatic entry into the museum, with its 2001, by Daniel projected images, observatories and education spaces; and the Water Shard forms the platform for viewing the canal, complete with a restaurant, cafe, deck and Libeskind performance space. Imperial War Museum North, Manchester, 2001, by Daniel Libeskind Imperial War Museum North, Manchester, 2001, by Daniel Libeskind Imperial War Museum North, Manchester, 2001, by Daniel Libeskind Imperial War Museum North, Manchester, 2001, by Daniel Libeskind Royal Ontario Museum expansion, Toronto, 2007, by Daniel Libeskind The extension to the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM), now named the Michael Lee-Chin Crystal, is situated at one of the most prominent intersections in downtown central Toronto. Its new name is derived from the building’s five intersecting metal-clad volumes, which are reminiscent of crystals— inspired by the crystalline forms in the ROM’s mineralogy galleries.  Libeskind created a Royal Ontario Museum expansion, Toronto, 2007, by Daniel Libeskind structure of organically interlocking prismatic forms turning this important corner of Toronto, and the entire museum complex, into a luminous beacon. With the expansion, a new group entrance on Queen’s Park was created where visitors enter a spectacular atrium in which the two themes of the Museum, Nature and Culture, are distinctly showcased through intertwining staircases leading to the exhibitions above. Royal Ontario Museum expansion, Toronto, 2007, by Daniel Libeskind The entire ground level is unified into a seamless space with clarity of circulation and transparency. The Crystal transforms the ROM’s fortress-like character, turning it into an inspired atmosphere dedicated to the resurgence of the Museum as the dynamic centre of Toronto. Royal Ontario Museum expansion, Toronto, 2007, by Daniel Libeskind Top view Royal Ontario Museum expansion, Toronto, 2007, by Daniel Libeskind Cross section Royal Ontario Museum expansion, Toronto, 2007, by Daniel Libeskind Royal Ontario Museum expansion, Toronto, 2007, by Daniel Libeskind Royal Ontario Museum expansion, Toronto, 2007, by Daniel Libeskind Royal Ontario Museum expansion, Toronto, 2007, by Daniel Libeskind Royal Ontario Museum expansion, Toronto, 2007, by Daniel Libeskind Dancing house, Ginger & Fred, Prague, 1992-1996, Vlado Milunić and Frank Gehry The Dancing House, or Fred and Ginger, is the nickname given to the Nationale-Nederlanden building on the Rašín Embankment in Prague, Czech Republic. The very non-traditional design was controversial at the time because the house stands out among the Baroque, Gothic and Art Nouveau buildings for which Prague is famous, and in the opinion of some it does not accord well with these architectural styles. The then Czech president, Václav Havel, who lived for decades next to the site, had avidly supported this project, hoping that the building would become a center of cultural activity. Dancing house, Ginger & Fred, Prague, 1992-1996, Vlado Milunić and Frank Gehry From their first meeting in 1992 in Geneva, Gehry and Milunić began to elaborate Milunić's original idea of a building consisting of two parts, static and dynamic ("yin and yang"), which were to symbolize the transition of Czechoslovakia from a communist regime to a parliamentary democracy. Dancing house, Ginger & Fred, Prague, 1992-1996, Vlado Milunić and Frank Gehry Dancing house, Ginger & Fred, Prague, 1992-1996, Vlado Milunić and Frank Gehry Dancing house, Ginger & Fred, Prague, 1992-1996, Vlado Milunić and Frank Gehry 2- Deconstructing all principles of Euclidian geometry Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao, Spain, Frank Gehry Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao, Spain, Frank Gehry Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao, Spain, Frank Gehry Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao, Spain, Frank Gehry Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao, Spain, Frank Gehry  Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao, Spain, Frank Gehry Built of limestone, glass and titanium, the museum used 33,000 pieces of titanium half a millimeter thick, each with a unique form suited to its location. Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao, Spain, Frank Gehry Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao, Spain, Frank Gehry  Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao, Spain, Frank Gehry The museum is essentially a shell that evokes the past industrial life and port of Bilbao. It consists of a series of interconnected volumes, some formed of orthogonal coated stone and others from a titanium dkeleton covered by an organic skin. The connection between volumes is created by the glass skin. Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao, Spain, Frank Gehry Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao, Spain, Frank Gehry Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao, Spain, Frank Gehry https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=naWIQhV057Y Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao, Spain, Frank Gehry Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao, Spain, Frank Gehry Clockwise from top left: Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York. Photo: David Heald; Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Venice. Photo: David Heald; Guggenheim Museum Bilbao. Photo: David Heald; Guggenheim Abu Dhabi, north elevation, digital rendering courtesy TDIC and Gehry Partners, LLP Which one do you like more? Why? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8OGJBuHztk 3- Fulfilling functional needs Despite the dynamic formation of the buildings which obviously appears in the complicated unbalanced facades, the buildings have internal spaces that can successfully fulfil their functions. The American Center – Paris – F.Gehry  The Biomuseo Museum, Panama, 2004-2014, Frank Gehry The Biomuseo is the only Frank Gehry creation in Latin America. Although the building's very personal colors and shapes set it apart from the glass towers that define Panama City, the Biomuseo adopts and reinterprets our climate, architecture, and culture. In this exhibition we explore the process of design and construction of the Biomuseo, and its connections with Panama. It's fascinating to discover that Gehry began the design of the Biomuseo's complex shapes by experimenting with simple wooden blocks. Starting from these basic elements, Gehry Partners built hundreds of additional models — each model more detailed than the previous one — to produce the final shapes of the museum and its galleries. The Biomuseo Museum, Panama, 2004-2014, Frank Gehry The Biomuseo Museum, Panama, 2004-2014, Frank Gehry The Biomuseo Museum, Panama, 2004-2014, Frank Gehry  3- Fulfilling functional needs The Museum is meant to be a gateway to new knowledge about the natural history of the isthmus and its biodiversity. The Biomuseo offers visitors eight “devices of wonder", linking the emergence of the isthmus of Panama to the biological and climatic changes that transformed the natural world we know today. In the Biomuseo we can see many references to local culture and biodiversity (colors) and canal architecture (roofs and architectural forms). The building directs our gaze to the landscape and integrates with it. Positioned at the beginning of the Amador Causeway and the entrance to the Canal, it seems to float like The Biomuseo Museum, Panama, 2004-2014, Frank Gehry another ship, bursting with color. The Biomuseo Museum, Panama, 2004-2014, Frank Gehry The Biomuseo Museum, Panama, 2004-2014, Frank Gehry At the heart of the project is a public outdoor atrium covered by colorful metal canopies designed to protect visitors from frequent wind-driven rains. Surrounding the central atrium are unticketed public areas, including the museum store, a café and a temporary exhibition space, as well as the two main ticketed exhibition wings of the building. The atrium level, elevated one floor above grade, allows for extended views to the Canal and city, in addition to protecting the outdoor exhibition space below, which connects the two exhibition wings. The Biomuseo Museum, Panama, 2004-2014, Frank Gehry The Biomuseo Museum, Panama, 2004-2014, Frank Gehry The Biomuseo Museum, Panama, 2004-2014, Frank Gehry The Biomuseo Museum, Panama, 2004-2014, Frank Gehry The Biomuseo Museum, Panama, 2004-2014, Frank Gehry The Biomuseo Museum, Panama, 2004-2014, Frank Gehry The Biomuseo Museum, Panama, 2004-2014, Frank Gehry 4- Asymmetry: inventing solutions for creating visual balance without symmetry Seattle Central Library, 5th avenue, Rem Koolhaas, 2004 Glasgow Riverside Museum of Transportation, Zaha Hadid, 2011 The Riverside Museum is derived from its context. The historic development of the Clyde and the city of Glasgow is a unique legacy. Located where the Kelvin joins the Clyde, the museum’s design flows from the city to the river; symbolizing a dynamic relationship where the museum is the voice of both, connecting the city to the river and also the transition from one to the other. The museum is situated in very context of its origins, with its design actively encouraging connectivity between the exhibits and the wider environment. The building, open at opposite ends, has a tunnel- like configuration between the city and the Clyde. However, within this connection between the city and river, the building diverts to create a journey away from its external context into the world of the exhibits. Glasgow Riverside Museum of Transportation, Zaha Hadid, 2011 Here, the internal path within the museum becomes a mediator between city and river, which can either be hermetic or porous depending on the exhibition layout. Thus, the museum positions itself symbolically and functionally as open and fluid, engaging its context and content to ensure it is profoundly interlinked with not only Glasgow’s history, but also its future. Visitors build up a gradual sense of the external context as they move through the museum from exhibit to exhibit. Glasgow Riverside Museum of Transportation, Zaha Hadid, 2011 The design is a sectional extrusion, open at opposing ends along a diverted linear path. This cross-sectional outline could be seen as a cityscape and is a responsive gesture to encapsulate a waves on water. The outer waves or ‘pleats’ are enclosed to accommodate support services and the ‘black box’ exhibits. This leaves the main central space column-free and open, offering greatest flexibility to exhibit the museum’s world-class collection. Glasgow Riverside Museum of Transportation, Zaha Hadid, 2011 Glasgow Riverside Museum of Transportation, Zaha Hadid, 2011 Zaha Hadid says: “Through architecture, we can investigate future possibilities yet also explore the cultural foundations that have defined the city. The Riverside Museum is a fantastic and truly unique project where the exhibits and building come together at this prominent and historic location on the Clyde to enthuse and inspire all visitors. The design, combining geometric complexity with structural ingenuity and material authenticity, continues Glasgow’s rich engineering traditions and will be a part of the city’s future as a centre of innovation.” Glasgow Riverside Museum of Transportation, Zaha Hadid, 2011 Glasgow Riverside Museum of Transportation, Zaha Hadid, 2011 5- Perfect utilization of the contemporary technology - The CAD (Computer Aided UFA Cinema Center, Germany, Design) is heavily used as a Coop Himmelblau design not a drafting tool. - Structural loads calculations for complicated building masses are done by advanced software. - The most advanced construction materials and techniques are used. CCTV Building, China Central Television, Beijing, 2012, designed by OMA archietcturel firm (Rem Koolhaas & Partners) The CCTV Headquarters is a 234 m, 44-story skyscraper comprises two towers that lean towards one another and are bridged at both the the top and bottom to form a distorted loop. Designed by OMA as a reinvention of the skyscraper as a loop, construction on the building began in 2004. At approximately 473, 000m2, CCTV – accommodating TV studios, offices, broadcasting and production facilities – is OMA’s largest ever project and its first major building in China. CCTV Building, China Central Television, Beijing, 2012, designed by OMA archietcturel firm (Rem Koolhaas & Partners) CCTV defies the skyscraper’s typical quest for ultimate height. Rising from a common platform, two towers lean towards each other and eventually merge in a perpendicular, 75-metre cantilever. The design combines the entire process of TV-making – formerly scattered in various locations across the city – into a loop of interconnected activities. The structure of the CCTV Headquarters, and the forces at work within it, is visible on its façade: a web of diagonals that becomes dense in areas of greater stress, looser and more open in areas requiring less support. The façade itself becomes a visual manifestation of the building’s structure. The CCTV headquarters aims at an alternative to the exhausted typology of the skyscraper. Instead of competing in the race for ultimate height and style within a traditional two-dimensional tower 'soaring' skyward, CCTV's loop poses a truly three-dimensional experience, culminating in a 75-metre cantilever. The building is visible from most of Beijing; it sometimes comes across as big and sometimes small, from some angles strong and from others soft. CCTV Building, China Central Television, Beijing, 2012 CCTV Building, China Central Television, Beijing, 2012 CCTV Building, China Central Television, Beijing, 2012 CCTV Building, China Central Television, Beijing, 2012, designed by OMA archietcturel firm (Rem Koolhaas & Partners) CCTV Building, China Central Television, Beijing, 2012, designed by OMA archietcturel firm (Rem Koolhaas & Partners) The construction of the building is considered to be a structural challenge, especially because it is in a seismic zone. Rem Koolhaas has said the building "could never have been conceived by the Chinese and could never have been built by Europeans. It is a hybrid by definition. CCTV Building, China Central Television, Beijing, 2012, CCTV Building, China Central Television, Beijing, 2012 6- Hiding the structural elements of the building Heydar Aliyev Cultural Centre, Baku, Azerbaijan, 2011, Zaha Hadid Heydar Aliyev Cultural Centre, Baku, Azerbaijan, 2011, Zaha Hadid Heydar Aliyev Cultural Centre, Baku, Azerbaijan, 2011, Zaha Hadid https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNRfq2KAsKM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMYUl_JT678  Heydar Aliyev Cultural Centre, Baku, Azerbaijan, 2011, Zaha Hadid Zaha Hadid created a building form that appears to emerge from the topography. The skin of the building – a single curving surface – rises, undulates, and wraps inward at its base to completely envelop the building’s various volumes. The curved surface allows a freedom of form that can simultaneously differentiate and unite the Heydar Aliyev Cultural Centre's three distinct programmatic elements. Its inward curl is formed into stairways and ramps that connect the lower floors to mezzanine levels; other circulation paths also emanate from the curves of the building envelope. An elevated bridge connects the library to the conference hall. For aesthetic purposes, the cladding needed to give the building a monolithic appearance, not only to make it read as a continuous volume but also to accomplish the transition to the plaza surface. All visible seams needed to run parallel to one another, reinforcing the building’s wavelike design. Heydar Aliyev Cultural Centre, Baku, Azerbaijan, 2011, Zaha Hadid The easy-to-clean external cladding materials were selected because of the heavy air pollution, therefore, glass fiber reinforced plastic (GFRP) came up, which is dirt-repellent itself. In general, all building systems are chosen to have high durability and a long lifetime and low maintenance efforts. https://www.dezeen.com/2014/07/01/designs-of-the-year-2014-zaha-hadid-saffet-kaya-bekiroglu- interview-heydar-aliyev/ Heydar Aliyev Cultural Centre, Baku, Azerbaijan, 2011, Zaha Hadid Heydar Aliyev Cultural Centre, Baku, Azerbaijan, 2011, Zaha Hadid Heydar Aliyev Cultural Centre, Baku, Azerbaijan, 2011, Zaha Hadid Zaha Hadid’s vision of sublimity presented some very material challenges for the engineers and builders. The curve of the building’s exterior, meant to convey the aspirations and identity of the Azerbaijan people, needed also to function in more prosaic (simple) terms. It was necessary to construct a building that could seal out the elements and bear high wind and seismic loads without relying on interior support columns (which would have impeded the flow of space). Ultimately, a system was devised that utilized a space frame as its main structural element; the cladding is a curtain wall system comprised of various specially fabricated panels. Heydar Aliyev Cultural Centre, Baku, Azerbaijan, 2011, Zaha Hadid Early in the design process, engineers performed a mathematically based computer analysis. “It's good practice to do structural calculations for projects of that kind with a 3D nonlinear finite element analysis, including special loads like earthquake and high wind loads as present in Baku,” says Thomas Winterstetter of Werner Sobek, project engineer for the Heydar Aliyev Cultural Centre. “We did the calculations with two separate full-model 3D finite element programs, in order to compare the results and not to rely on a single one.”  Heydar Aliyev Cultural Centre, Baku, Azerbaijan, 2011, Zaha Hadid According to Winter Stetter, the main structure of the Heydar Aliyev Cultural Centre is a mix of reinforced concrete, steel frame structures, and composite beams and decks. The space frame is composed of a special steel tube-and-nodes system (a product of MERO-TSK International). Heydar Aliyev Cultural Centre, Baku, Azerbaijan, 2011, Zaha Hadid Principles of Deconstruction Architecture 1- Liberation from conventional forms 2- Deconstructing all principles of Euclidian geometry 3- Fulfilling functional needs 4- Asymmetry: inventing solutions for creating visual balance without symmetry 5- Perfect utilization of the contemporary technology 6- Hiding the structural elements of the building Refernces: Richards, K. M. (2013). Derrida Reframed: Interpreting Key Thinkers for the Arts (1st ed.) [Ebook]. Bloomsbury Publishing. https://doi.org/10.5040/9780857736345 Wigley, M. (1995). The Architecture of Deconstruction: Derrida's Haunt. The MIT Press. ISBN 9780262731140. Johnson, P., & Wigley, M. (1988). Deconstructivist architecture. New York, NY: The Museum of Modern Art.