Here at Complex Art+Design, we talk about architect Zaha Hadida lot. Her rise to the top of the architecture field has been earned from years of dedication to innovating in the field, as she relentlessly proved that she could create structures that would physically and historically stand the test of time. One such structure, the 28,500-square-meter stone and concrete sculptural work, Pierres vives, is one of her most iconic projects to date, pushing the boundaries of architecture in ever-exciting ways. This latest Rizzoli book documents its the final product in all its glory.
The Montpellier, France building hosts three government functions: archives, a library, and a sports center. Built to accommodate the growing needs of the city, Hadid took her design cues from the eventual purpose of the space, inside and out. As she knew its purpose was to help the people of Montpelier, she efficiently designed Pierres vives to structurally achieve this in the sharpest way possible.
Thankfully, world-famous architectural photographer, Hélène Binet, captured images for the book that truly show the brilliance in Hadid's construction of Pierres vives. Every curve and angle comes off the page as fluid and natural, and the photographs are sequenced to reflect the larger process of realizing the building's potential.
Jorge Silvetti, the Professor of Architecture at Harvard puts it best—“What Zaha Hadid has achieved with her inimitable manipulation of walls, ground planes, and roofs, with those transparent, interwoven, and fluid spaces, is vivid proof that architecture as a fine art has not run out of steam and is hardly wanting in imagination.”
Buy the book on Amazon, which was released on April 2, 2013.
(c)Zaha Hadid: Pierresvives, Skira Rizzoli, 2013
