2019-10-01 Robb Report

GUTTER CREDITS

Heydar Aliyev

Center

In the wake of the Soviet

Union’s dissolution in 1991,

Azerbaijan found itself a new

country—with all the stark,

brutalist architecture of the old

regime. In an effort to give the

nation a more contemporary

makeover, governing bodies

appointed architect Zaha Hadid

to design a new cultural center

in the heart of Baku, the capital.

Completed in 2012, the curvaceous

building pays homage to the fluid

forms found in traditional Azeri

architecture, with equally twisty

interiors housing exhibitions

that celebrate both the nation’s

history and its future.

“The center embodies

the future-looking

direction of Azerbaijan

and pushes what a

building is capable of

achieving. The way

the interior, exterior

and location all blend

together is nothing

short of miraculous.

It’s a contemporary

classic—a true

testament to Zaha’s

unique vision.”

FRANCIS SULTANA,

interior and furniture designer

HUFTON & CROW/VIEW/SHUTTERSTOCK

Heydar Aliyev

Center

In the wake of the Soviet

Union’s dissolution in 1991,

Azerbaijan found itself a new

country—with all the stark,

brutalist architecture of the old

regime. In an effort to give the

nation a more contemporary

makeover, governing bodies

appointed architect Zaha Hadid

to design a new cultural center

in the heart of Baku, the capital.

Completed in 2012, the curvaceous

building pays homage to the fluid

forms found in traditional Azeri

architecture, with equally twisty

interiors housing exhibitions

that celebrate both the nation’s

history and its future.

“The center embodies

the future-looking

direction of Azerbaijan

and pushes what a

building is capable of

achieving. The way

the interior, exterior

and location all blend

together is nothing

short of miraculous.

It’s a contemporary

classic—a true

testament to Zaha’s

unique vision.”

FRANCIS SULTANA,

interior and furniture designer

HUFTON & CROW/VIEW/SHUTTERSTOCK