September, 2026- ZHA (Zara Hadid Architects) was commissioned to design the Heydar Aliyev Center in 2007. The primary repository for The Republic of Azerbaijan’s cultural programs, this building breaks from the rigid and often monumental Soviet architecture that is so prevalent in Baku, aspiring instead to express the sensibilities of Azeri culture and the optimism of a nation that looks to the future. Built upon a steel and concrete structure, freeform shapes make up the open-joint rain screen cladding system.
