© Zaha Hadid Architects . Pubblicata il 09 Gennaio 2009.

Zaha Hadid Architects wins competition for the Library and Learning Centre

© Zaha Hadid Architects . Pubblicata il 09 Gennaio 2009.

at the University of Economics & Business, Vienna, Austria

© Zaha Hadid Architects . Pubblicata il 09 Gennaio 2009.

Zaha Hadid Architects have been selected as the architects of the Library and Learning Centre (LLC) at the University

© Zaha Hadid Architects . Pubblicata il 09 Gennaio 2009.

of Economics & Business, Vienna. The new Library and Learning Centre will be the centerpiece of the University’s new campus and provide a significant upgrade to the University’s services.

© Zaha Hadid Architects . Pubblicata il 09 Gennaio 2009.

In addition to the new library, the LLC will also provide a language laboratory, tutorial rooms, administration offices, student centre, book shop, cafeteria, clubrooms and event space.

© Zaha Hadid Architects . Pubblicata il 09 Gennaio 2009.

The new Library and Learning Centre rises as a polygonal block from the centre of the new university campus.

© Zaha Hadid Architects . Pubblicata il 09 Gennaio 2009.

The LLC’s design takes the form of a cube with both inclined and straight edges. The straight lines of the building’s exterior separate as they move inward, becoming curvilinear and fluid, generating a free-formed interior canyon that serves as the central public plaza. All the other facilities of the LLC are housed within a single volume that also divides, becoming two separate ribbons that wind around each other to enclose this glazed gathering space.

© Zaha Hadid Architects . Pubblicata il 09 Gennaio 2009.

“I am delighted to be working in Vienna as I have a close affiliation with the city. As a centre of research, the Library and Learning Centre is forum for the exchange of ideas. It is very exciting for us to be part of the University’s expansion.” states Zaha Hadid.

© Zaha Hadid Architects . Pubblicata il 09 Gennaio 2009.

Rector of the University of Economics & Business, Christoph Badelt said “A library and learning center should be more than a mere library in the classical sense: it is a research and a service facility, a workplace and lounge, a place of communication and a traffic hub, at one and the same time.

© Zaha Hadid Architects . Pubblicata il 09 Gennaio 2009.

With its breathtaking architecture, the design by Zaha Hadid manages to combine all the key functions of study in a most wonderful way. It is a vision that embodies this innovative concept of a university.”

© Zaha Hadid Architects . Pubblicata il 09 Gennaio 2009.