Zaha Hadid and Her Contribution to the Contemporary Urban Fabric of the Chinese Capital

Zaha Hadid and Her Contribution to the Contemporary Urban Fabric of the Chinese Capital
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Strolling around Bejing or driving along its teeming roadways, it is not rare to find yourself in front of buildings with continuous volume, rounded and fluid lines which rise like contemporary totems in strategic points or which have become so, thanks to the presence of these buildings. They are the urban contributions of Zaha Hadid Architects which, in recent years, have contributed to creating a new sense of space and new ways of using the urban environment and its various functions - Wang Jing Soho, Galaxy Soho, the brand new Leeza Soho and Daxing International Airport are some examples. Wang Jing Soho, a multi-use complex, rises with its three “moutainous peaks” overlooking an internal square with fountains - the constant exchange between recreational, living and working areas has created a new sense of neighbourhood and interaction, heightened, as well, by the presence of a 60.000 square metre public park. Galaxy Soho, situated just a few metres from the Chang’An Road that connects East and West Beijing, passing South of the Forbidden City, rethinks the traditional Chinese courtyard, using cornerless geometry while seeking continuity between inside and outside spaces. But it is Leeza Soho where architecture defies gravity, obtaining the superlative - the building hosts the world’s highest atrium. Placed at 194 metres, the atrium connects the two towers that make up the structure. The atrium is also the connecting point between the interior, with its offices, and the vast web of communications along the base of Leeza Soho. An addition to the infrastructure of Beijing is the Daxing International Airport, an airport with the world’s largest terminal and a futurist structure in which nature and artifice meet to give life to an organism shaped like a starfish, multifunctional and futuristic.

Manuela Lietti - © 2022 ARTE.it for Bulgari Hotel Beijing