dezeen

the text is so pompous for such a banal cliche of architecture…
“The enigmatic building appears mystically floating”
there is nothing enigmatic or mystical to this piece of techno turd
why does the celebration of speed, lightness, the defying of gravity, etc,
is commonly accepted as the vision of the future for architecture?

Is anyone else concerned that Zaha’s probably designing about 20 major museums around the world in this year alone and that they all kinda look the same? Sad thing is that these cities all think they’re getting a unique piece or architecture when in actual fact it’s just another expensive blob produced by a factory.

I like how the windows of the building flow onto the surrounding ground as lightboxes??

That’s about it………..!

i absolutely agree with zigzag…

could melt into the landscape more and integrate passive energy collection onto its back…but on the whole i like this little guy: sort of looks like he crawled up out of the river to sun himself.

if zaha builds half the projects showcased on dezeen, i have to believe that the construction industry will be loosened up a bit for the rest of us.

…and ‘zigzag’ who cares if she builds 20-40 interesting buildings over the course of her career. SOM probably churns out as many buildings in a year as zaha will do in her career if we are lucky.

Zaha’s projects used to have a really charming, even poetic side. The projects were visualised by beautifull paintings in which you could see the excellence of the design in a way that was never seen before. Nowadays it looks like a repetition of a cheap trick. Clients expect Zaha to design things like this. The charme is absolutely gone.

That’s it…I am opening my own architectural design studio. Things like this prove that I don’t actually need any real creative ability, just a computer and a software package. Bring on the awards and commissions. I am hiring now, so I suggest you jump on the bandwagon.

Dezeen should definitely also feature the other two entries by Libeskind and Fuksas!

See them all here:
http://www.vtv.lt/naujienos/architektura/pasaulio-architekturos-grandu-projektuose-naujasis-vilniaus-v-14.html

And the three final video presentations can be seen here: scroll down a bit to the three blue underlined links:
http://www.delfi.lt/news/daily/lithuania/article.php?id=16606948

Gehry, Hadid, who’s next? hurry up when’s my turn?

Looks almost the same as her proposal for a symphonic hall in Paris

hmmm, fishy!
scales, gills and all.

i agree with jxd.. if she builds a small amount, the construction industry will change. and it needs to catch up with the other design disciplines, such as industrial design or transportation design, which truly are innovating in the making of things, while we are still in the 19th century. that alone makes her work important for this profession.

but as usual, the scripting of perceived pedestrian, vehicular, and other “flows” to create this fluidity, making it “contextual,” is a bit alien.

it’s a cool form, though, have to admit.

on second thought, i’m waiting for her work to start floating or moving or something.

A giant steel-grey slug leaving tiny human pellets behind it.

another freakin UFO. big deal.

I don’t really care how many ugly buildings SOM builds. They are not suppose to be culturally significant buildings. Zaha’s commissions are suppose to be important buildings that in say something of it’s time and place and they have neither a response to their context nor their function and now are not even interesting because they all look so similar. call me old fashioned for believing in these things but, I highly doubt these “museums” are even designed to serve their purpose. Show us a floor plan instead of a slick photoshopped visual and we will see for ourselves.

I would love to see more pictures. Detail. Visual representation of what’s described on the news letter… please

(sorry, but i don’t understand why people are so bloody negative about every winner/project).

The parallel i find on this project is:

Lithuania - Renewed Independence / Economy Growth
Capital of Culture - Opportunity to stand up for its rights within European Union (sadly many cities in Europe didn’t take all the advantages of that) - Money to invest in the aesthetics.
Zaha Hadid - Future / Futuristic Architecture - Future - Future and again Future.

And, Creative and Cultural Industries are Europe’s future. An iconic building like this is a signal of change, progression, adaptation, new…

Zaha Hadid Architects don’t design the same thing everywhere like someone said. She, like any creative in the world, has her own style. Of course we would recognise the project without a word. But that’s what we, all creative people, stand out for: a signature, a style.

haha it is worthy of note that the liebeskind and fuksas entries just look like bad zaha entries. Can nobody compete on their own grounds against zahas amphibians any more?

to g:
how can you consider designing “cool shapes” a way of catching up with
industrial and vehicle design. These disciplines really have to deal with
aerodynamics and fluidity, and go beyond the mere formality of hadid’s work.

in a way, you are right, her language would only seem relevant when her designs
would start flying. and then it wouldn’t be architecture anymore, but vehicle design…

designing seducing shapes is exactly what 19th century was about, and this work is
the perfect exemple of baroque maneurism at its worse.

how many more times yet…???

She’ the Paris Hilton of architecture. World famous, but never built anything.

Booooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooring.
Oh my god! I almost fell asleep looking at this building.

These type of buildings are going look sooooooo ridiculous in 30 years..
just think of how all the crap aesthetical waves we’ve suffered and inherited in the last 50 years and how stupid they look now.

Ms Z now qualifies as an expert on SSDD architecture [same shit different day]

How many blobs of candle wax do we need to see before we get bored?

this is terrible but at least Libeskind didn’t win. Hadid, at the very least, knows how to build.

Pirate - sure it might lose its appeal over the years but I’d rather have architects who work hard creating buildings and spaces which are exciting for the present public (even if they do follow a fashion/trend), than not see anything daring/creative/fashionable/experimental at all.
There are so many buildings which have developed from, and been inspired by the ‘crap aesthetical waves’ and admittedly look aweful now (and this may be one of them) but are nevertheless hailed by historians, trusts etc as groundbreaking and culturally significant.
Without this history, inheritance, development and experimentation - how would architecture move forward?

for more information on Vilnius, see:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eCVWU_yHb4E

In 30 years time this will look ridiculous. But in a hundred, it will be treasured.

Our comments wouldn’t change her.

What a bunch of tossers.
Looks great. It will be amazing when its built. Of all the stuff to fly off the handle about. Eye on the world, post some of your stuff. Cant wait.

michael i would disagree that buildings don’t have to deal with aerodynamics. consider wind speeds, consider the micro climates cars and traffic make, consider sun, and rain at the very least. different types of dynamics, but nonetheless values to design with. that can bring her shapes into a more functional use of a building.

I would love to see a rendering of hers within a city. if she’s going to show us the shapes without any plans, then she should at least place them in photographs so we can more accurately see what exactly her shapes move with.

One thing is to create a new language for architecture and be successful as Zaha Hadid and her team is today and another is to be jealous of success and write derogatory comments about one of the greatest minds of architecture of all time.

If you look at the collective body of work by all famous architects like Mies, Corbu, Aalto, Wright, all their buildings do look a like. Each has a signature style and Zaha’s is just so far into the future. Her buildings are outrageousl and gorgeous.

Having met the maestra at a recent competition for another museum I had the opportunity to hear her presentation and how she described her team’s design process. Their inspiration is from nature.

Look at her building. Its location on the site, the landscaping, the shape of the building belongs at that location. It is a building shaped by the erosive waters of a flowing river. The other competitors’ buildings don’t fit the site as well.

So all of you detractors, go crawl back into your holes where you came from and shut up!

Do they saw the Fuksas project? It looks like zaha’s project for Nuragic Museum in Cagliari-Italy.

i just love the surface material, brushed aluminum-like. i love how the sensous form of glass articulate to overall form. i love the folding and unfolding of the protruding cantilever. i love the “bridge” configuration, almost offering cantilever on all sides then blurring the norm of columns and replacing them with abuttments.

i hope this building is sustainable, i fear that its a building full of itself.

zaha hadid diseña para el futuro, mmmm pero construye con metodos del presente, la mayoria de sus cosas son cascaras con formas raras.

creo q debio estudiar diseño automotriz.

ahhh y no me parece prudente mandar a callar a los demas solo porque no comparten nuestros gustos.

I agree

way too many people here talk shit and focus on being negative.

Zigzag…where do you study architecture???? I mean,it seems as if you don´t have a clue about what you´r talking about. I think you should study a bit more about deconstructivism and how this style affected the way Zaha began to work…

Let´s become more open minded, please!!!!!!
And, of course, I completely agree with James.

im soooo bored of this shit……

I agree with trevor

You guys look like the architects from my country(Portugal)… Always expecting to say bad things just to stay good at the “Picture”…

Stop saying bad things only to say something… think first…
(sorry about my english)

james, who are u to tell everyone to shut up? what’s your last name? hitler?

We will not shut up and will comment on these buildings as much as we want. Because they’re not good. Because they’re not sensitive - even Zaha argues that. Because they’re just the byproduct of constantly changing speed in ghz and processing power rather than the understanding of the crisis of identity in the cities.

No doubt Zaha will be remembered in 100 years - surely as much as other ‘visionaires’. But do her buildings make a point like Corbu’s, Mies’ and Aalto’s? No. So don’t compare because her ’stuff’ is no more than a bunch of kids playing - and I mean playing - with subdivision surfaces in rhino.

These buildings DO NOT represent us today. They only represents Zaha’s ego - actually Schumacher’s ego.. she has very little to do with design in her own office nowadays.

i see no positive.

This museum building is interesting and because it is on its own site, I think it has a right to become an object, a form. Within a built area, urban context the story is of a different order.
Judging from the spaces under some of the form, they’re quite useless, so I’m not sure if it is integrated with the site as well as it could. The urban design/landscaping seems a bit too minimal - doesn’t seem to be too humanist. No benches, gather area, zero trees.. But then again, maybe this sleek concrete flooring is just a runway for this aerodynamic shape, about to take off. Perhaps pilotis would have worked, rather than dropping this blob on the ground? Perhaps the spaces inside offer atmosphere for a museum.. Can’t wait to experience it.
Also, the building as a whole looks very scale-less. If the people weren’t in the renderings, I could judge the building’s size as large as a house.
A bit interesting, yet nothing new, nothing beyond imagination.
Let’s hope for something more …

At the end of the day… if anyone here says its not an exciting space to inhabit… THAT PERSON IS A LIAR!!!

In my own point of view. There´s no more room for straigth lines, the future is all about fluidity and dynamics, we have been moving in straight lines and look were we have ended. Let us think different and start focusing in the shapes of nature, look at the contemporary art, is not straigth any more… imagine an anish kapoor in one of this space, or a koons or a sierra… to mention some…

This museum is supoused to hold and show contemporary art, which is no longer framed. It doesn´t look like an UFO because we have never seen one for sure…

Zaha is moving forward, why can´t we?

For Vilnius and Lithuania such project is so helpful, because architecture is very conservative, and all cultural situation is standing at the same shitty point. Most Vilnius people liked liebeskind project, because its green, but how it will look in winter?? so, we happy to have Hadids project

to abyssinian: yes it’s an exciting space to inhabit; but it’s a boring design from hadid, in the sense that she is not breaking any new ground

James, one thing that does archictets (Mies, Corbu, Aalto, Wright) had teach us is that, what we create should be intemporary, and most of all, from inside to outside.

Architecture is more than a exibition or big sculpture were people enter. Pieces of adventure should be from the inside, not outside.

Architects like Zaha Hadid, and understand that i like some projects from her atelier, should do so many masterpieces, because it loses his streng, the force and the charme of being THE masterpeice.

Is like having a hole city compost with such forms, makes you wonder where you can find a stray line so that you can have peace.

Trully, i don’t think that the problem is her, but the people who buy the projects. The world is ciclicous, and now is her period, let her enjoy it.

I’m just sad because a statement is more than a trend.
And this is just pure fashion in architecture.

I LOVE THE TREES!

BB King - There are no subdivision surfaces in Rhino.

i like the shoes the woman in the red dress wears….

….at the end of the day we are all just a happy bunch of emotion loaded architects that love to talk! cheers!! let’s praise our passion for architecture!

by the way, i guess most of the sleekyness derives from the way they present the building in the renders, no? i am sure the finished product/building will be a great space to be in, no?! but i have to agree with the missing landscape feeling.. not so much in there..

And yeah.. what the h*** … subdivision in rhino!!? its great we got some specialists that claim to know all about the way this is modelled, keep it up and criticize on a top level!

peace guys! keep the archi-love up!

like the formalistic experiments of zaha, allthough she used to focus more on light, perspective, etc in the past (at least to my opinion, that’s why I liked her work so much..)
anyway, I’m looking forward to see a museum-design that focuses on the content of ‘what a museum can be these days’, rather than just ‘cool’ spaces which ignore the art-pieces and the way a museum wants us to look at/experience the art..
a museum can be much more than a cool building, but no-one seems to care about that..

by the way: how do they make sch a big windows??

I completely agree with abyssinian and Damfak:

An art gallery is not just a place to hang art - its also a place to INSPIRE art. I think this building will achieve both very well in years to come, even if its not something ‘ground breaking’

I’ve lost faith in architecture commentary thanks to you all.

There are subdivs in the new rhino beta version I’m testing.

there will never be professional comments on blogs because professional people don’t have the time to write comments on blogs.

Being one of the lucky few Zaha Hadid Architects who actually designed this project, I must confess I find it quite amazing and definitely entertaining to see how so many people consider themselves capable of judging a building based on only a few images!!

I hope we at ZHA soon get the opportunity to prove the intricate qualities of our beauty by realizing this ground-breaking project in wonderful Lithuania. Until that moment however - and before you all start a blog fight - I urge all of you cynics to go visit the exhibition in Vilnius to study the competition entries thoroughly.

Afterwards we’re all ears!!

p.s. There is also T-splines in Rhino.

Pernalonga- i used to work at zahas as did just about every young architect in london. we all know how it works. you are kidding yourself if you think it was concieved by patrick et al as anything other than a few slick images. she doesnt get published in every media on the planet because her projects are intellegent, intricate, subtle and considered; they are empty graphic icons.

and dezeen why do you keep publishing every derivative mediocre project that comes out of that office. surely that blog space could be given to someone doing something new, trying to build their reputation, busting their ass fighting for commisons.

EW !

my first criticism goes against the fact of critisicising the architect, her reputation fashionism and not really trying to make a comperativ analysis among competition entries. this was a competition and among the 3 entrants beyond the visual iconic, fashion…call it waht you like….image that architects have produced the winning project delivers by far the most comprehensiv interior space (please look at the videos)…certainly of lanquage you might dislike because of oversaturation,..but significantly convincing….among the 3…beyond that i would argue that yes this museum will not compete against wright, or aalto…but thats another discussion.Nice work.

curvaceous building as always from Hadid…

I never get bored seeing new innovation in architecture designs by zaha hadid

looks like the dream works of one John Zachary DeLorean!

i think the reason the buildings of these ’starchitects’ recieve so much negative feedback is that create a recognisable ‘brand’ -the aesthetic ideas of an INDIVIDUAL imposed on society.Apparently their latest whim transends different sites, cultures, functions and climates.

very nice project

i agree with AMS when i look at the other two. At least this one has a shape. Libeskinds’ laks identity and Fuksas’ looks like an unsuccesful heart transplant.

do some ridiculous things and be famous rather than create old-fashioned stuffs and nobody will know you. New stuffs always get criticisms. Architecture is not exactly like mathematics but it’s like everything :mathematics, art, poet. It can be judged it’s true or false. It’s..just architecture.

Frankly, Libeskind’s and Fuksas’s aren’t just bad Zaha-esque style. They both illustrate well their own style. I do interest in Hadid’s design, but for this one, I have to tell that the other two do win in my opinion. Why?

Hadid’s museum here ignores totally the contextual fabric and how to integrate the surroundings/merging them with the building. And as intriguing the piece is, it is not as a landmark as Gehry’s Bilbao Museum to stand upright as a sculpture. (And also, Gehry paid attention to the back street facade of that museum, and designed quite formally to leave that street some ‘air’). This project is not architecture, it is more like a vehicle–a nice super car apark in the midst of nowhere.

I like Hadid’s interiors, not she is not a great architect I am afraid.
It is also sad that the design does not reflect Vilnius, it’s green, vivid nature as well as it’s scale and fragility. The design by Hadid rather looks like a large eel or similar fish that has a cyclopean eye. I am afraid it does not look like the building that I will be proud seeing or showing in my hometown.

there are a lot of architects who have constructed also ten times more buildings, all good buildings, square buildings, with maybe sometimes a different size for the windows thus referring in a ver subtle way to …bla bla bla…. and no one ever discussed them.
No-one, apart -probably- from all these negative people, with all their negative reactions, I see here on this site.
Reading all this negativeness, also repeating and repeating themselves…. I have to force myself from not becoming sad myself. Bad I just need 1 look again at this enormous whale for Vilnius and I smile again…
Make another 100 buildings Zaha! Make these tight asses jealous!

Can Zaha Hadid’s office please redesign their website!

On another note, I do like a lot of Hadid’s work. But I can’t say this is my favorite project. It seems to be trying too hard… pleated ribbon skylights, field of asymmetric windows, giant cyclops eye, etc.

I’m sure there is some programmatic defense carefully constructed for all these disparate elements but a successful resolution of program, site and design can be more elegant and she’s done this many times. Perhaps the office should seek a little more refinement while maintaining the “Intergalactic Alien Headquarters” aesthetic they are honing.

Regarding the tornado of vitriol on Dezeen: knock yourselves out kids! It’s great fun to read the scathing remarks no matter how uninformed. After all, this is architecture criticism, not group therapy.

I actually prefer Libeskind’s design much more, most prob because it has TONS of more green that the eel and heart transplant designs.

ZAHA HADID IS THE BEST ARCHITECT OF THE WORLD!!!!!!!!!!!
SHE IS THE MASTER OF ARCHITECTURE
NO ONE CAN DESIGN A BUILDING LIKE HER

hello .
We can design our mind.
but we don’t think for all of mind & work by some this.
Are you can think for all of this massage.
goodluck.

Take a look at the video on YouTube, the interiors are VERY interesting, there are light incidence studies, and it shows how program is solved through the interiors.

On the plus side, at least Libeskind was made to look like the turd he is by losing another competition.

It cracks me up every time I remember that this clown had to hire Alex Gorlin to design his little apartment in Manhattan. If that doesn’t tell you that Ttudio Libeskind is full of brainless #D CAD Monkeys with no other skills,m I don’t know what will. What a bunch of pretentious idiots they are!

Generally I like most of ZHA buildings. But are all those buildings really zaha?

hadid’s first unique buildings came out of her Malevich inspired paintings. The buildings of that period aren’t blob-like.

The last years (after the building of science center in wolfsburg), hadid style has evolved to the modelling of these G3 curvature surfaces.

Hadid had stopped making paintings for her projects as long as these spaces cannot be conceived in the 2d canvas. All these aesthetic shapes come out of software modelling packages. She had confess several times that she doesn’t use the computer. So, she is something less than a maestro.

Of course, i do not expect to design all the projects in detail. Also i know that the same thing happens in most of the big design studios…
But other figures (even less computationally progressive) such as Ben Van Berkel, know how to use 3ds max or Topsolid even if they do not use it in everyday workflow. Undoubtly the computer is an integral part in the process of the so called “liquid” architecture.

After all, do all these designs belong to zaha?
Is zaha such a pioneer in experimental architecture any more?

There are many small firms that practice computational architecture worldwide and their principals generally know how to use this machine.

This is the real revolution of software in architecture…

i liked it, the shape itself its inspiring and seems futuristic in a way. But i think i liked the proposal that daniel libeskind did , its not just a design, but it has that sort of poetic flow to it. and i think a building should carries a certain character that activates emotions to ppl who actually use that building, more over its an art musuem….art is always emotionally moving.