Home Projects Arum by Zaha Hadid Architects at Venice Biennale 2012
ProjectsDesignInstallationPavilion

Arum by Zaha Hadid Architects at Venice Biennale 2012

Share
Arum by Zaha Hadid Architects at Venice Biennale 2012
Share
Arum

With their early work inspired by Russian Suprematism, Zaha Hadid Architects’ pays homage to the historical lineages of collective research that has led to the major works of today’s contemporary architecture at the 2012 Venice Biennale with the installation ‘Arum’. The pleated metal structure is derived from the work of German architect Frei Otto, who paved the way for material-structural form-finding processes. Arum is a response to David Chipperfield’s belief that the theme of ‘Common Ground’ is meant to “reassert the existence of an architectural culture, made up not just of singular talents but a rich continuity of diverse ideas united in a common history.”

Subscribe to our newsletter

Arum

Beautifully crafted, the installation at the Corderie of the Arsenale also includes models and explorations of ZHA, related to the work of Frei Otto, Felix Candela, Heinz Isler. In this aspect the firm has able to expose visitors to the inspiration and research from modern architects that can be found on ZHA’s contemporary works. We saw Patrik Schumacher before the Biennale’s preview on top of every detail, leading to an impecable result.

Arum
Arum

This year’s Biennale theme ‘Common Ground’ shows how the work of the major protagonists of contemporary architecture – often regarded as independent individual creations – is in fact based on historical lineages of collective research. This is also true of the work of Zaha Hadid Architects. It is well known that the early work was initially inspired by Russian Suprematism.

Arum
Arum
Arum

From the architect. In our installation and exhibition at the Biennale we want to show that – apart from the dialogue with the work of contemporary competitors that existed all along – our recent work connects to a rather different historical strand of research. The more our design research and work evolved on the basis of algorithmic form generation, the more we learned to appreciate the work of pioneers like Frei Otto who had achieved the most elegant designs on the basis of material-structural form-finding processes. From Frei Otto we learned how the richness, organic coherence and fluidity of the forms and spaces we desire could emerge rationally from an intricate balance of forces. We expanded Frei Otto’s method to include environmental as well as structural logics, and we moved from material to computational simulations.

Arum

One particular area of research we would like to explore with our installation is the domain of light – weight shells in combination with tensile structures. We have already designed a number of complex shells as well as some tensile structures. Here, for the first time, we would like to integrate these two worlds. The Arum shell is an installation made from pleated metal. We will surround the installation with the documentation of our research, including key reference projects of the pre- eminent precursors in this line of research.

We will show the work Frei Otto, Felix Candela, Heinz Isler among others and include work by Philippe Block, a young, contemporary researcher of stone compression shells.

Subscribe to our newsletter

Share
Written by
Hamid Hassanzadeh

Hamid Hassanzadeh is an architect, entrepreneur, computational researcher, speaker, and founder of ParametricArchitecture. He completed architectural education in Iran in 2012 and started the ParametricArchitecture platform in 2016. Being a host at the PA Talks, he has interviewed world-renowned architects, designers, artists, and engineers about their works, methodologies, and their visions for the future. By working at the PAACADEMY, an educational platform powered by PA, Hamid has conducted dozens of workshops, conferences, and events during the past several years.

Leave a comment

Leave a Reply

Related Articles
Canal Café by Diller Scofidio + Renfro Serves Venice in Every Sip at the Biennale
Installation

Canal Café by Diller Scofidio + Renfro Serves Venice in Every Sip at the Biennale

At the 2025 Venice Architecture Biennale, Diller Scofidio + Renfro introduce Canal...

Luxembourg’s Sonic Pavilion Tunes Into the Architecture of Sound
Architecture NewsPavilion

Luxembourg’s Sonic Pavilion Tunes Into the Architecture of Sound

Opening on May 10, 2025, at the 19th International Architecture Exhibition of...

Togo Debuts at Venice Biennale with Showcase of Modernist Heritage
Pavilion

Togo Debuts at Venice Biennale with Showcase of Modernist Heritage

For the first time in its history, the Republic of Togo is...

FundamentAI Lets Venice's Lagoon Design the City
Installation

FundamentAI Lets Venice’s Lagoon Design the City

Opening at the 19th International Architecture Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia,...

Subscribe to all newsletters

Join our community to receive the latest insights and updates!

© 2025 ParametricArchitecture. All Rights Reserved. By utilizing this website, you are consenting to our User Agreement, Privacy Policy, and Cookie Statement. In compliance with the privacy laws of Turkey and the United States, we recognize and respect your rights. Please be aware that we may receive commissions for products bought through our affiliate links. Unauthorized reproduction, distribution, or transmission of any material from this site is strictly forbidden without prior written permission from ParametricArchitecture.

ad blocker mark

AdBlocker Detected!

Help Us Keep Our Content Free

Your support helps us continue delivering high-quality resources at no cost to you.

We’ve detected that you are using an AdBlocker. We completely understand the need for a clean browsing experience, but ads help us keep this platform running and continue providing you with high-quality content at no cost.

If you enjoy our content, please consider disabling your AdBlocker or adding our site to your whitelist. Your support allows us to create more valuable articles, tutorials, and resources for you.

Thank you for being a part of our community!